※  回想記の夢 ・ A Memoir of a Dream  ※
by Fehize
Summary: It came without warning that attack. Whatever was used, a certain sunkissed blond awoken to a new area, yet, it was not. As sky ocean eyes met another bright pair, life for the teenager sprang anew in nothing but a memoir of a dream...  oyako
1. Chapter 1

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

There was nothing except for the pitter patter of the late evening shower. Everywhere, and all around, there were signs of things that were coming the following morning. Some men and women were outside, fixing up the series of ladders that were meant to be used to fix wooden roofs into a manageable state. Other people were happily sitting underneath an oaken porch, admiring the dying sun's rays kiss the world around them. Such a sight was unusual, but not rare. Sometimes, a storm would end with the red and golden sun leaving it's lasting impression. However, most of the youngsters who lived in the town were too busy to lay back and watch the sunset with awe and wonder.

Most.

On a far end of the Konoha village resided the not-too progressive side. This was the area where those with a desire to achieve more never went farther than their front door. However, even these people had hope. They were a family at the very least. Yet, this air was never the same for a small child. Certainly, in the terms of this certain person's mind, he was not a child, but a full-fledged ninja! He was going to be the next biggest thing since...well, since RAMEN itself!

Yet, today was not a day to shout his proclamation to whoever wanted to hear. Today, the said child was sitting on the top of monuments that bared the faces of five, most now long since passed, rulers. The brown, worn mountain side was often the area where this child went to think by himself. Sometimes, it was about what his purpose in life was. Other times, it was to snicker at the latest victims of his practical jokes. At this hour, however, was more of the first option.

A soft wind picked up, with the drizzle still hitting the golden hair, dripping down towards the pale flesh of the small figure. To the wind itself, this child's posture was not something it normally was. In fact, there was water there on the face that had nothing to do with the falling rain. Those bright, blue eyes that were normally filled with care and determination were closed at the moment. Thoughts were screaming past the figure, more thoughts than normal. On top of that, one of his friends had disdained him for a failure that was his entire fault. He was not ready, and that enough was to cause him his own sense of mental grief.

Clenching his hand together, he rammed it against his face to hurriedly dry away any tears that were still there. _Sasuke...Sakura...Even Kakashi. I'm sorry I failed._ Yet, even while he was trying to make himself seem better off physically, there was still that small sense of worry in the inside. He decided not to hang around his friends or peers for a while as he had his own thoughts to think of. _Even if I did fail...I...I MUST make sure that I won't fail again...My friends are like family, and...I can't bear to think of..._

His thoughts trailed away at that moment as a figure managed to land right next to him with a small sigh. "Naruto...I know you are upset, but come on! Even you can't be this sad for so long, right? Where is your fire, and your dreams? It's been a few weeks already, and..."

The blond hair child - no, it was better to say 'teenager' if anything - turned around to face the other blonde woman in front of him. Her face was set in a tone of worry, but her eyes were trying to bore some of this teenager's old fire back within him. "B...But Baa-chan...I..."

"NARUTO! I, as well as everyone else you hold dear, am worried greatly about you! You haven't been accepting any missions, you've been lying around your apartment until just recently, and even I don't see you running around my room. Do you have any idea..." the woman paused for a moment before giving the boy called Naruto a smile, "...that without you there to bug me, I have managed to complete more paperwork?"

It was a start, but the woman had managed to get the unknown spirit of Konoha burning once again.

[x]

A couple of days have passed since that day, and a certain teenager was walking just outside the edges of the village. He wasn't going too far away, for the enemies from afar were always bound to be near. The biggest threat, of course, was the ones who wore black cloaks with wispy, red clouds. Those clothing styles made it seem to be as if they were one with a demonic sky and wind itself; red out of the amount of death they have brought upon.

_I wonder what Baa-chan_ _is doing?_ he wondered with a slight yawn. Scratching his head, he blinked a few times before deciding to head back towards the village. After all, night was beginning to fall once more and he wanted to be indoors and feel nice and safe and warm and toasty. Not to mention, think - much more determined - about how to rescue his friend from that...thing.

After placing some Chakra into his feet, he decided to go on ahead and run off towards his dorm...

Before crashing right into a figure. "OWWW!" he cried out, rubbing his head back and forth, fast, as if trying to calm himself down from a pain that won't go away with a simple rub.

"It's the Kyuubi!" came a cry out from the background. "Grab him!"

Two strong arms picked up the body of Naruto as he tried to go on off and lunge them off of him. "To think it was easier than we thought it was..."

"Shut it! Grab him!"

Something hit him at the back of the head. The last thing that he could register in his brain was black cloaks with the tinge of some color, but blackness had already claimed him.

[x]

"Ugh..." groaned a small mutter from the teenager with the blond hair and the blue eyes. Naruto opened his eyes slowly, admiring the time to take in the view all around. Slowly, the scenery was sharpening, and the dull pounding in his head slowed down just the slightest. There was still the horrible pain on the back of his head, but it seemed to be that everything was going back to normal.

Well, as normal as it can get with his body apparently lying down in a room of white that screamed out 'hospital!'

"Hey, he's awake," came the sound of someone highly amused.

With a slight moan, the teenager called Naruto turned around to face the figure that was in front of him. The man had long hair, as well as a smile that was plastered all over his face. He was rather young looking, but with a simple nod of his head, he turned around to face someone who was currently out of Naruto's line of sight. _What's going on here?_ With a slight movement, he allowed his body to raise just a bit higher off the bedding; the white sheets being removed away at the slightest. That was when he realized that he was bandaged up his arms, but they were doing rather well. _OK! What the HELL is going on here!_

That was when his eyes widened up to the size of small saucers. Right in front of him was a man that had bright, hopeful eyes as his own! Pulling his gaze out, he noticed the blond hair had the same mop-like appearance as Naruto's own. A dark green vest was wrapped around his upper torso area with a dark shirt underneath. However, it was not those details that caught him off guard. It was the fact that the man was...

_The...the YONDAIME! What the hell! ARGGG! This can't be happening!_ "Little guy, you alright? You make it seem as if you have seen a ghost, eh?" With a happy grin, the man - the YONDAIME - placed his body next to the chair that resided near the window.

"Ah, you must be confused as to where you are. You know, I have never seen your face as a Genin before..." With a little shake and another carefree smile squiggled down upon his face. "You are a very lucky person, you know. We found you right outside inside the outer wall, slumped over and almost beaten up. Those markings on your face..." he began with a little point towards Naruto's cheeks, "were pale, but freshened RIGHT up in about seven days or so."

"SEVEN DAYS!" cried out the blond teen as stunned blue eyes met calm and caring ones. _AHH! First, the Yondaime is HERE, TALKING to __**ME**__, and NOW I have been out for...SEVEN DAYS! Holy KAMI! _He was still panting when the adult man only gave a small chuckle.

"You know, if it wasn't for the fact we saw you injured, I wouldn't believe that you saved from near death..." The voice of _THE Yondaime_ seemed to get serious near the end, but those eyes...Those blue, bright eyes seemed to have some sort of hidden sadness in them. Not a very keen sadness, but a more general one. Like one that was given to someone that you only slightly knew...

_No DUH, Naruto! He's the YONDAIME! WHERE THE HELL AM I!_ It was not helping at all that the idiot of a fur ball was not talking to him, or responding to anything at all. It was odd, but then again, as was everything else that was going on in this current moment.

"The medic-nins managed to get everything all nice and cleaned up, you know. The only injuries they couldn't seem to treat were these little markings here..." the man said, pointing at the teen's face, "but, I guess it's nothing major to be worried about." A smile once more lit up the face. "I mean, you seem to have excellent healing capabilities!"

Naruto was taking this conversation in as something one-sided. The YONDAIME was still there, talking as if this was something that was known as something normal, and that there was nothing wrong. Well, nothing _majorly_ wrong. "Y...You are the...the Y-Yondai...me..." the worked up teenager managed to stutter out. It wasn't a question. It was a matter of fact.

However, hat only brought up a moment of silence before there was the hand of a certain Yondaime, covering is mouth. After a few, crucial moments, there ensued the snickering of one person towards another. Finally, after five seconds or so, the man who Naruto had once looked up to – and still does, the man who sealed the Demon within him, laughed.

A LOT.

"Me! A Yondaime!" he chuckled; those blue eyes lightening up the room. Naruto, the blond teenager still lying down on the hospital bed, had no idea that when he laughed like that, his eyes did the same thing. "Listen, kid, I may be a Jounin, but I am not a Hokage!" Placing his hand down back towards his lap, he moved his face a bit closer to give the teenager a sighed, yet happy look. "Besides, the Sandaime hasn't even left his post yet. You are thinking a little bit too ahead of yourself, you know," the man finished. He got up, stretching his legs and nodded. "It's Minato. Minato Namikaze!"

"Oi, Minato-sensei." Naruto could only blink at the oddness of everything. The door towards his room slowly creaked open when a different figure entered the room. Silver hair spiked up in odd means and a mask was hanging around where the lower face should have been.A small mental cry echoed in his head, but Naruto's subconciousness supressed it. It was alreayd processing OTHER, important things and did not want to input new information in this crazed ordeal. "It seems that the child has awakened up," the kid stated. The new words made him jolt more so. "Now is the time to ask questions, I believe, or later if you desire. In the mean time, Minato-sensei, I will go train."

With that, he was gone, leaving Naruto confused. He could **swear** he looked like...Kakashi(?) - albeit, smaller - but his tone of voice hinted something like what old Sasuke was... 'I am holier than thou.' _Ahhh! What's going on!_ he screamed, clutching his hands towards his forehead. This action, however, led to the fact that...Minato looked at him with an even more worry filling those eyes. _Wh...Why does he look like me?_ he cried out as well in his head. "Hey, are you alright, little guy?"

With those words coming towards him, the blond teenager only gave a false smile. "Ah...a headache," he lied. He most DEFINATELY needed time to get his thoughts gathered together. He was panting and screaming in his head, and there was no Fox there to help explain at this current moment.

"Well, that's good. I'll explain what happened when we found you, and you can explain back next time." Walking towards the door, he turned around and gave a nod. "I hope you can get better soon! And I hope I can find your team sometime soon, little guy." With a little air of...something Naruto couldn't sense, the adult man reached the door and opened it with his hand. On a second thought, he turned around right before he was going to leave. "Hey, I forgot to ask something. What's your name? I can't keep on saying things like 'little kid' all the time."

Normally, Naruto would hate it if someone called him that. After all, he had someeeee little bit of growth in the past few months. However, his thoughts were occupied elsewhere. "Uh...Na...Naruto. Naruto Uzuma..." _No...think! Don't use something like that! You have no idea where the hell you are! Or what's going on!_ "Uzumamein!" he finished with an inward sigh.

The Yondaime - no, Minato - stopped for a few moments, giving him a confused look, before giving a little nod to continue off towards the hallway. Once a couple of minutes passed in pure silence, Naruto did the next best thing one could do in a situation like this:

Bang one's head against a pillow and scream your lungs out.

[x]

A foot fell down on some grass as the figure continued to walk down an area that looked like something akin to a park. What this place was, though, was a training ground. After all, what better place to help your students? Today, however, was different. Today was the start of some new discussion that couldn't get finished in the past few days.

"So, Minato-sensei," began Kakashi with a little nod. "What did you get out of him? I already asked around, and I have yet to hear of someone who is missing a member of a squad."

"But...with all that has been going on lately, I think he could be the sole survivor of one squad..." began a female who was sitting near the edge of a training log. The bark was slightly peeled away, showing that someone before had trained on this log many, many times.

"We already went through those scenarios. It would be unreasonable if the enemies came so close towards the Konoha gates without us noticing first." This came up from the once called Obito Uchiha.

Minato gave a slight sigh. This whole troubling, yet slightly enlightening, experience was caused when they first ran into that poor figure of a child in the middle of training sessions. It was almost as if he appeared straight out of thin air! The teenager/child looked as if he was hanging on a state of near death. There were some major gashes, but not a single minor one. However, the nurses had all claimed that by the third day or so, most of them have already healed up! "His name is...Naruto Uzumamein," he responded.

Uzumamein. Now there was a name that was not to be expected. The last he heard, there was not any clan called Uzumamein living in Konoha, nor were there that many clans that had blue-eyed and sun-kiss blond hair. "It's almost as if he's a mini-me..." he muttered out, too soft for anyone else to hear.

"Anyways, I am going to go on out and check the rosters for anyone by that name. You three...just make sure not to hurt each other much..." he ended with a little sigh. However, with a smile once more on his face, he turned around and began to head towards the Hokage office. Most information about such things he needed could be found there. _Uzumamein...that's sounds pretty...unique._ With a name like that, it should be rather easy to see where the child came from.

[x]

_What is Oyako? It stands for a father and son fluff/cuteness/stuff that makes my brain go 'D'AWWWW'.  
Not inscene, or yaoi, etc. And don't espect it until...secret._

_Thanks for EVERYONE who made this story have SOOO many favorites and reviews!  
-Fehize_

_Naruto is NOT owned by me, nor do I claim it. It's owned by those people/that person...in Japan. Yeah. -sweats-_

_P.S. Updated again to fix what FF had done to the layout, making it almost impossible to read. -sweats-_


	2. Chapter 2

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Soft was the wind that blew through the large trees. Tall and majestic, they rose all around the perimeter of a large and powerful golden wall. Some of them were even inside the large expanse of architecture, giving forth shade that pleases whomever rests underneath. The gentle, southern wind caressed these large expanses of nature's might, making some of the bright, emerald leaves swayed from their respective branches before resting peacefully upon the ground.

A movement of someone stirred some of the leaves on the dirt. After a few moments, one could see the hair of the bright sun heading off towards a certain red tower in the distance. A green vest, filled with all of the necessary equipment for anything a ninja needed, was easily noted as well. Dark blue, almost black, pants were on, as well as a lighter green undershirt that had golden ties around the elbow and wrist area. To the world, he was beginning to rise up in the ranks of one of the most legendary ninjas around. 'Beginning to', the main key words. Most of the surrounding areas have yet to learn of who he was, but to some of the citizens of this Village in the Leaves, he was almost like a yellow flash... Perhaps that was why people were becoming to associate him by this name?

Yawning slightly, stretching his arms high in the air, the sun-kissed haired man blinked for a few moments before reaching a door with the kanji symbol of fire (?) on it. Some men were already there, acting as guards from any possible attacks. They were also the ones to talk to if one was ever bored with life. "Hey guys," began the man. With a smile that seemed normal on his face, he took some steps inside the red painted building. "I'm going to look through the Genin materials really quick, to figure out the identity of Mr. Mysterious." This man had already told them the odd tale of the small 'child' that his team had discovered outside the walls.

The one on the left nodded, yawning a bit as well. "Minato, that yawn of yours is contagious." With a simple wave, the two guards stepped aside and allowed the man to enter. "The records are in the back, and the Hokage already allowed you some permission."

Minato nodded as his hair on the side of his ear moved down with his head. "Alright, thanks!" Continuing down his path, he eventually made his way towards a dimly lit room filled with many scrolls. Plopping himself over towards one of the walls, he began to search for the proper years. _Hmmm...Naruto Uzumamein...He looks about fifteen or so...That would mean that I have about five years of Genin searching. Shouldn't be that hard..._

[x]

_ARGGGGGGG!_ came the cry from inside Minato's head as his hands went up towards his hair, trying to pull it away. He has been in this small, stuffy room for HOURS and had yet to discover anything about a child/teenager/person called Naruto Uzumamein. Since he couldn't find the full name, he tried under the list of 'Uzemamein', coming only with nothing. There was some brief noted of an 'Uzumaki' from the Land of the Whirls, but that was far away and had nothing to do with the current situation. Then, he tried searching under 'Naruto', coming up with only the name of the topping used for a certain type of ramen.

Slamming his head on the table, he moaned slightly. "This is harder than I thought..." Lifting himself back up, he regained his calm composition. It wasn't everyday that he acted like a child, but in certain moments like this, it was rather necessary to vent a little. Despite all of his planning and thinking, however, no face came up with something remotely similar towards the strange teenager.

Except his face, but that was also irrelevant.

_How does a kid like this magically appear? There is no records of a missing team of either Genin, Cuunin, or Jounin, and no records of a missing blonde haired child either. And since he was knocked unconsciousness, his appearance has nothing to do with a Henge jutsu... There is the Konoha forehead protector upon his head, but with no dead or missing team members lately, he couldn't have just picked it up from a...corpse._

The mind of Minato Namikaze was going at a massive speed, thinking about who this child was and what was going on. After yet another few hours, the passing of the sun made him realize that it was already late in the evening. By the time that he left the Hokage Tower, the whole area was almost draped in darkness with the lights of the lamps showing the way. _I wonder what I am going to have for dinner,_ he mused. His old sensei, and still sometimes still his sensei, kept on muttering that he needed a certain 'someone' to cook and take care of him. In general, settle him down.

He wondered if Jiraiya meant something else behind those words.

[x]

Naruto blinked at the ceiling, looking at the patterns created by the plaster that formed the base of support. Today, there was a little frog running around. It was very deformed for the fact that the little plaster pieces didn't make for the perfect figures of little froggies, but imagination was all that the forms needed. Still, it was a waste of the day. All of the doctors seemed to care for him more than normal, but he was still pondering over what was going on to really notice.

Once the Yondai - er...Minato - left, things were rather boring around the hospital. He spent most of the day thinking about what had happened, and he still was. _Hmm...I wonder what happened. Let's see, I remember the black cloaks..._

His eyes widened up like saucers and he threw his body up from the bed into a sitting position. The thoughts of black cloaks could only mean one thing: he had been caught by the Akatsuki. He had to be, mainly for the fact that they were the only ones he knew that worse such black cloaks. He could faintly remember the faint blur of a color in the center, and that further concreted his ideas. Or at least, as concrete as he could get them right now. He defiantly wasn't in the cave where...THEY did whatever they did to remove the demons from within their hosts. In fact, if he could swear on his forehead protector, he would on the vow that he was in the past.

Which made him giggle slightly at that motion before getting more serious. SUREEEE, he was in the past. _This could be a highly specialized genjutsu, probably made by Itachi... No, I didn't see anyone's eyes._ Placing his hand on his chin, he began to ponder more, moving his normal smile into a thinking 'frown'. _Bah, I think I'll have to think about it later. First I have to assess what I DO know:_

_Well, apparently Yo-Minato is alive. Which means...DANG! This place, wherever it is, WHATever it is, is before I was born!_ That caused him to rub his head even more. This whole thought process was enough to make him crazy. On top of that, what was he supposed to call the blond haired man? Minato-san? Minato-sama? Minato-DONO! Minato-

That was when the door towards his own room swung open and the figure of - who else? - Minato waltzed in. His green jounin vest seemed to be a stark contrast against his bright hair, but the expression seemed filled with so many emotions that it was hard to place one with words. He smiled and waved, nodding a bit. "Hey, Naruto. Just came by for a visit and to ask you some questions, if that is alright."

Naruto blinked for a few moments before nodding a little bit. "Umm...Sure, I guess. I mean, I got a couple of questions as well," he added with a little nod. He needed to know some things, oh yeah, he really needed to know _some_ certain things.

Minato plopped his body down next towards the edge of the bed, looking at the whisker-marked face. "So...let's begin. Where did you come from?"

"Konoha," Naruto with a little nod.

"And, how old are you?"

"Fifteen last time I checked," he added with a little smile.

The adult nodded a bit, trying to settle the mood by a fraction as there still was that air of difference between the two blond ninjas. "Fifteen, I guess that is a good number. I remember being fifteen." With another smile, he decided to continue with his conversation. Naruto didn't really mind a whole lot because it didn't seem like he was getting in trouble. That, and he was pretty sure the Yondai-Minato wasn't from the interrogation section of Konoha's shinobi. "Alright, Naruto, how about your clan name?"

That question made him think and ponder for a moment. He was still stuck in this whole 'where-am-I' bit, but it reminded him that he had to be careful over what he said. "Well, see, that's the trouble. I'm an orphan and I don't know my parents. I kinda gave myself the name 'Uzumamein' just to have a last name here." That was the TRUTH! He _was_ an orphan, and he did give himself the name Uzumamein for THIS place. It just wasn't the entire truth. Some truth wasn't as bad as lying, at least.

"Oh..." came the little mutter from Minato. His cerulean eyes seemed to get filmed with some sadness, as if he did something horrible with just asking that question.

Noticing this, the teenager waved his hands back and forth, giving his own, bright smile forth. "Nee, hey! It's alright, Minato-san!" He decided maybe 'san' was the better word here. It's true that he is/will be/who-knows the Yondaime - that is, IF he was in the past. And even if he wasn't and this was a genjutsu, he still would be the Yondaime - in the future, but that little tang of slight bitterness of this man sealing up the Kyuubi within him prevented 'sama'.

On the other hand, it sure did beat using the phrase 'jiji'.

Continuing his words, the teenager added: "It's alright! It happened long ago, and I'm over with it." With a little hand, he pumped it in the air. "After all, if I can't deal with that, how am I supposed to become the future Hokage!" These words always made sense to him, and he sure did love yelling them out. He might have matured over the years, but that phrase will never tire him out. Or rather, something akin to that phrase.

What surprised him a bit was that Minato smiled back, with a little nod. "With your endless energy, I'm sure you can, kid. But," he added with a wink, "you'll have to beat me to it, first. I plan to be the Hokage as well!"

Thus the night began with the laughter of two males who were closer to each other than they would think.

[x]

The next day passed with relative nothingness. The nurses paced back and forth, and some of them even wanted to talk to Naruto himself. It was short conversations, nothing much, but at least it was something nice enough to take his mind away from the boredom.

It was late afternoon, and he had already dropped the thought process of trying to figure out where he was. It was beginning to hurt too much. With a yawn and a sigh, he decided now was a great time to get his body up and out of this place. The hospital was no longer needed as he knew that all of his cuts and injuries were already healed up thanks to the fuzz-ball. Rubbing his tummy, he jumped up. His clothing were still the same, it seemed, and he knew they needed to be washed and whatnot. His nose could pick them up by just stench! _Some stealth this would end up as..._ he mocked himself in his head before looking around for something to wear for the moment.

In the closet were some black shorts with some white shirts hanging from the rack, all nice and recently pressed. Some of them seemed a tad bit too big on him, and the others seemed only slightly too small. With a sigh, he threw the ones that were someone in between the two sizes. It wasn't exactly such a perfect fit, but it was rather close. He only wished they had at least SOME orange in them. Slapping on his _zori_, he looked at himself in a mirror.

_Well, there goes the Akatsuki idea out of my head,_ he thought as he poked the six whisker marks on his face. He was pretty sure that even if those freaks would do a genjitsu on this level, saying _if_ they managed to catch him in the eyes, it wouldn't be with him and his possession marks. _ARG! Drop the subject, already!_ he scolded himself. _Get out of the evil hospital first!_

Slowly opening the sliding, almost pale green door, he arched his blond head out to face the hallway. He wanted to make sure there were no nurses there checking on him, otherwise...

The coast was very much so clear. No one was there among the halls, but then again, the last time he remembered being in a hospital, there wasn't much once he was out of the critical status areas. His foot reflected off the laminated and recently polished tile flooring as he slowly walked forwards towards the back exit. There was a fence back there, but he was pretty sure that he could jump over it. Or walk over it, whichever seemed better.

Finally reaching the back entrance, he placed his hand over the little latch and slid the glass panes open, very silently. Tip-toeing across the grass, he made sure to hide in the shadows as it still was daytime. Late afternoon still meant there were at least four more hours of sunlight, and he didn't want to get caught right there in the hospital yard! (What type of ninja would he be then?)

The walls of the hospital were right in front of him, and with a little smirk, he threw himself over the top and landed safely on the other side. On one hand, he had a bag filled with the items be brought with him to begin with, and around his neck was his necklace that Baa-chan gave him. Yup! That was everything! Now, it was time to get a late lunch and scout the area. The layout certainly looked a bit like Konoha, but Naruto knew that his Konoha was different.

With each little step, he searched each little nook and cranny. By the time night fell, he knew where everything was, more or less. The hot springs were still where they were, there was still the stadium where the Chuunin Exams would be held; hell, even his apartment was still in the same spot! However, the blond had to agree that it looked a bit better in this place/time.

_Man, I'm getting hungry! I wonder if Ichiraku is here, wherever this place is. Sure, I can accept the fact I am here, but that doesn't make it any better over how freaked out I am._ The only good part about these past two days of waiting in the white, sterile room? Thinking time to figure out where he was.

[x]

"Sensei...why is it that we always come here? You know that ramen is never good for you! It has way too much salt! With the amount of sodium intake you get, you can die within a year; pale and as hideous as a corpse!"

A set a brightly paired blue eyes chuckled for a mere moment as two light brown chop-sticks pointed towards a certain little trainee called Rin. "Now, now. I happen to have a very good regimen for combating excess sodium, so I can allow myself to gorge a little here and there." To finish it off, the sixth bowl of ramen was placed right on top of the others.

A silver haired boy with a dark blue mask gave a blank stare towards the taller man. "And what, may I ask, is this so-called 'regimen'?"

A twinkle sparkled in Minato's eyes. "Why, it's taking care of you three!"

The three teammates groaned for a little bit, but then stopped. It was their sensei's normal attitude, and they were used to it. After all, Minato was a clam, collected person. Quick to smile, he was the type of person who made anyone who saw him wish to be on the receiving end of it.

It was then that another presence arrived next towards the group of four. Minato stopped slurping for a moment and turned his head. Within a matter of moments, his face signified happiness. "Hello, Naruto! What brings you here? I heard that you had a little escape art from the hospital earlier, and the nurses were beginning to worry." His eyes opened once again, and his body language gestured the young teen to enter the booth seat next to the group.

The adult man noticed that Naruto seemed pleased with that, and the white shirt, black shorted teen plopped down on the seat. "Oh, yes, here are my introductions. You already know that my name is Minato Namikaze, but here is my little Team Seven group!"

"Team Seven?" blinked the smaller teen as his blue eyes blinked back. "Whoah..." Minato thought there was something thinking along the kid's head, but a smile soon replaced the whiskered features. The blond head turned to face the owner of the store, and Naruto barked out the order of miso ramen.

Kakashi placed his hands on the wooden mock of a table top and took a glance at the raven, black-haired Obito. "Dobe, pass some chopsticks."

"DOPE!" cried out the Uchiha. "Oh yeah, Kakashi-teme!"

Minato placed his hands between them both. With a small, collective sigh, he shook his head. "Now, guys...It's not exactly the nicest things to say to each other."

But on the corner of his eye, Minato noticed that Naruto seemed to have a face of déjà vu. Weird...

[x]

_Review wo Ku-Da-Sa-IIIIIIII! -smiles-_


	3. Chapter 3

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

The little leaves were slowly giving their weight towards gravity as they fluttered towards the ground in a waved grace. Like green snow, each and individual piece allowed themselves to fill the air, even if it was just for a fraction of a second. With a whisper, the wind soon vanished and the last of the fallen leaves kissed the tan ground.

If this setting seemed similar towards a viewer, that was because they were only taking into account the general outlook over everything. If one were only to see closer into these little miracles of the day, one would see a cycle of life that dies, revives; dies and revives. They would see that each insect, no matter how small, each animal, no matter how large, and each human, no matter how weak, is important towards the unset future. The future wasn't as stiff and as set as one would think or hope. It was lax and it could wane; like a ripple in a pond. And as such a ripple, one could never tell how large and how wide one's actions could reach out towards.

Everything was uniformed. Everything had a purpose. Everything was in harmony.

Was.

[x]

Located off towards the side was a building that was fairly new. It wasn't large or wide, famous or expensive. It was just the average, little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that always held the best tasting treasures. It was a place where one could go on ahead and sit with friends and talk about many subjects - like life. It was a place where meetings could happen that dealt with the simpler things in life. Or, in this case, it could be a place where a stranger met with a sensei and his group over many bowls of hot, steamy ramen.

Minato was no different from other people, despite the fact that people were slowly beginning to look at him with massive awe and respect. He always likes to believe he was the same as others. So, when life and fate decided to throw him his own stranger in the midst, he decided the best way to get some knowledge that was unattainable through the records was by mouth. Certainly, lies could be threaded there, as the blond jounin was no idiot, but with some reassurance that he meant no harm towards the teenager could be the difference between a lie and bent truth. From then on, a bent truth could become trust. It was what Konoha needed most of all in these times: trust for others, even if they were strangers.

Besides, with Rin, Kakashi, and Obito here, there were at least three times the opportunities to make more friends. The Hokage seemed to trust the stranger called Naruto, and Sarutobi was not often wrong in his judgments of others. (Though Minato did personally believe that his judgment over Orochimaru was something of ill error…)

"So...Hi! My name is Rin!" happily exclaimed the small girl. Maybe small was a term the girl refused to use, but being only around eleven made her small in the eyes of Minato Namikaze. "I'm decently good at genjutsu, and I want to be a medic-nin, but a great one!" Her finger was placed on her face before she tilted her head towards the side. "Oh!" she began, moving said finger from her face towards the figures of Obito and Kakashi. "And I also prevent these two from trying to gorge each other's eyeballs out!" The 'hidden' snicker was detected by all.

"Hey!" cried out the raven-haired child. "That's not true. I don't exactly want to do THAT towards a certain someone's eyes! But..."

Like the blond adult expected, the silver haired prodigy scowled. "Humph, your eyes aren't even worth pulling out. You don't even have the Sha-"

"Oi, oi, oi! Now everyone," Minato began as he placed a small, nervous smile. His eyes were shut as a little laugh came out of his mouth. "I'm sure that pulling each other's eyes are never a good thing." With a little nod, he looked towards Rin, who was sticking her tongue out at both of the in-trouble children. "And while you may not wish to par-take in that Rin, don't you think that teasing was a bit too much? Eyes, of all things?"

Naruto was being a little bit quiet, but his body language seemed to show that he seemed someone pleased with how the air was. Of course, Minato was still wondering as to why the boy seemed to have a certain response towards the name 'Teams Seven'. Deciding to bring it up, he deduced now was a nice time to order another bowl of miso ramen for them both. Snapping his chopsticks in half along the dimpled edge, he slowly ate while turning his head to face the stranger.

Like he thought, the blond child was happily eating away at his ramen. (Though, perhaps with a bit less table manners than most people would expect.) "Naruto..." began Minato as he dunked his little noodles a bit for them to receive more flavor. After chewing what his chopsticks would allow between the little pincer parts, he finished off his question, trying to be as discreet as possible. "Have you heard of Team Seven before?"

The teen slurped at his own ramen for a few moments, placing the bowl down on the counter with a little clinking noise. "Well, it's just that seven was just a surprise, that's all. I had some friends from an old Seven, that's all."

_Had some old friends? As in no longer friends, or a misplacement of a tense? No matter, I think one insightful question a visit will be a good start for this._ The entity that was Naruto Uzumamein was something to ponder about very much. Placing his bowl down, he nodded towards the owners of the Ichiruka Ramen place to give him the receipt. Once all paid for and complete, he made sure to gather his team together and say good-bye to the blonde teenager.

"I hope to see you later, Naruto. Maybe we might run into each other once in a while here at this place," added Mianto. Rin seemed eager in making a new friend - even though the blond child was technically fifteen years old, thus placing him four older than the girl - and things were looking prosperous.

The whiskered marked teen grabbed his hand and rubbed the back of his head, smiling all the way. "Aha...We might. I just LOVE Ichiraku's!" he added before leaving off towards the distance.

Minato was halfway towards his own home, having already dismissed his Team for the day, before thinking on what the child had stated. Irchiraku was rather a new building, being open for only a few weeks or so, and he could recall that the owner saying something that he was the only regular...

"Oh well," he muttered as she turned the key towards the front door. Sometimes he had to wonder as to why they had keys towards places if ninjas could just sneak their ways in through chakra. Dispelling that side thought, he opened the door and stepped inside, turning on the lights. Like always, his home was rather empty, leaving for nothing but silence. It was still rather early as the sun was still up, a few hours from setting, so now was a perfect time to train a bit.

After checking his scrolls, he grabbed some more of the special tags that he has been working on. His earlier tags were nice, but they seemed to be too complicated and could get damaged rather easily. He needed to make one that could stick on paper, cloth, and kunais within the slightest touch and the least amount of effort. Having just finished a 'batch' of them yesterday, it was time to test them out with his personal, and well loved, jutsu. Closing the door once again, he walked at a steady pace towards his training area. Sure, he could have 'phased' towards that area, but sometimes taking a stroll was nicer.

[x]

_Kuso...what am I supposed to do about sleeping! I don't own my apartment anymore!_ yelled Naruto in his mind as he kicked some pebbles in the street.

Of course, he had to learn that he no longer owned an apartment RIGHT after the landlady pointed out that she had never seen him before, and that he better not show up there again unless he wanted to rent as she had no need for hooligans like him. Honestly!

Sighing, looking at the area around him, he debated wither or no to go towards in inn and just spend a night there before trying to find SOME way of making money! It was beginning to seem that he was going to get stuck in this...place for a longer time period than he thought at first. Tugging out Gama-chan, his little 'purse' in the shape of a cute frog where he held all of his Ryuu, its bulging contents said he could afford a night in a nice inn for a little while, planning on what to do next.

Wait. Now that he thought of it, he needed some new clothes as his old ones were now on the 'hopeless cause' moments of their fabric lives, and hospital clothing was nothing to run around in. _Oh darn...Now I have to go shopping!_ Buying clothing was never a nice experience for him sometimes, and looking for the proper fit of style made him cringe.

[x]

The sun was beginning to shine through the window. With a small breeze, the curtains began to sway to and fro, making the light dance upon the face of a sleeping form of a certain blond teenager. In a subconscious moment, his body twitched away from the brightness and tried to face the area of shade in order to lengthen the time of sleep. Such movements, unfortunately, did not let Naruto sleep for much longer as eventually his body made him get up and change into the few articles of clothing he bought.

It was pretty much a copy of his old clothing. He had asked the old woman who owned the store to make an exact replica, after all. The only difference was the material of which the fabric was made out of, and to lengthen the pant legs a couple of inches. He was already growing a bit since he had bought his original, and this newer one covered up everything towards his ankles. Slapping on his _zori_ to his feet once again, he stood up and faced the mirror. Rubbing the excess drool out of his face, he gave himself a thumbs up and a smile. His blond hair was a mess, which it normally was, spiking up in all directions. His bright, blue eyes reflected a bit of the sunlight, leaving a little glare mark on the bottom edge.

In his hand was his forehead protector. Even though it was probably smarter to not wear it, Naruto's mind had refused to do such a thing. He was a Konoha ninja after all, even though he wasn't supposed to exist just yet! He wasn't going to let a little bit of oddness take off his protector! Iruka-sensei gave it to him, and darn it, he was going to keep it! With maybe the exception of his goggles, it was one of his prized items. Oh, and there was his necklace as well, which never left his, well, neck. It was still hanging there: the bright blue stone gleaming in the light.

With a quick pull on the edges, Naruto smiled at his mirror image. _Alright! Here's to another day in trying to get back home by myself! And if that doesn't work, maybe I can find something to take me back!_ Also reflected was that smile as well as the determination that was easily set in the face of someone who never gave up.

Running out towards the front entrance of the lower end inn, the sun-kissed blond headed off towards his usual rounds of searching for, well, anything! As a second thought, perhaps it was best to understand what was going on around this current time. If the Yondaime wasn't exactly THE Yondaime yet, then that would mean that he could still be in the times of the Great Shinobi War(s). He couldn't recall wither it was the first, second, or third one, making him think he should have paid a bit more attention in History for a few seconds.

The main streets were exactly like the normal Konoha, as he had noted earlier in his brain. Some of the shortcuts that he knew since he was a child, playing all those pranks, were still there. However, there were also some few buildings on a certain side of the village that Naruto had never seen before. It wasn't much, but it was this small concentration of homes and trees by the pale yellow wall. _Come to think of it, it's also where the large forest clearing is..._ Except there was no clearing there at this current moment, which only ensued the massive pangs of more headaches that suddenly began the pangs of stomach aches that demanded food.

"To Ichiraku's!" Naruto screamed out a bit, smiling and turning the corners to face towards his favorite ramen shop. Wherever he was now, at least they had his ramen! Yet, as he was still having the delicious thoughts of food floating around his head, there was still that part that was still worried and confused still over where he was. It wasn't like it was an everyday occurrence that one was to go on off and land in an area where a dead hero still walked around.

_Wait,_ came the sudden thought as he turned his head to see the monuments where the faces of the Hokages were reliefed in the rocks. _Jiji is still alive, too..._ His grandfather figure was still **alive**, but he had yet to see him! And if that meant that the Old Man was still kicking, then Orochimaru would be here in this area as well! _And that would mean that there is no Sasuke here, either..._ he sadly thought, suddenly falling victim to the pang of guilt that always occurred when he dwelled on the second rescue mission that ended without success.

With all of his thoughts, brooding, and whatnot, he didn't really notice he had rammed into a bickering onslaught of two children until he had quite literally **rammed** into them. With a little omph, he glanced up to say sorry, only to realize that the two figures were some of the members from the current Team Seven. Obito and Kakashi...

Kakashi...!

"Hey! I think we broke Mamuto!" came the cry from one of the boys, who had temporarily stopped exchanging insults to look at the teenager. Nartuo was standing in the center of the road, looking at the silver haired man with his eyes widening with each passing second.

Ka...ka...shi...!

"It was 'Naruto', dope," came the calmed response as the masked boy turned his head to face the teen. The two eyes blinked a bit, before turning back to face the raven-haired kid. "For once, idiot, you are right. I think we did break him."

"Ka...ka...ka...ka...KAKASHI!" Naruto bellowed out, holding his finger at the boy who was smaller than him. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!" With his blue eyes now the size of dish plates, his stance was now shaking as the two gave him weird looks. It was one thing to see a man whom the village praised back alive, but it was a TOTALLY different thing when your sensei is here as well, a man who you knew _personally_, in a midget size! For crying out loud, the silver haired 'sensei' was just a little bit half-way over Naruto's hip!

"Obito. Kakashi," began a clam voice from behind the teenager. With a startled shock, Naruto launched himself at least a good five feet away from the man, who was, none other, than Mianto. The adult had a little bit of wonder in his eyes as he glanced towards Naruto, but then turned back towards the two kids. "What did you do to the kid? Or more importantly, what did you do to yourselves? I heard your arguments half-way across Konoha."

Obito pouted a bit, or something akin to a pout, and shoved his head towards the position of the silver headed boy. "Kakashi started it."

Minato sighed.

[x]

_-waves hands in the air repeatedly- REVIEWS PLEASE! -dances- Do it for...uh...Do it for...ME! Yeah! -brick'd-_


	4. Chapter 4

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

In water that is as pure as the dawn; in water that one can see one's own reflection; in the living source of all life...

A ripple echoes in the night. The ripple of time being twisten and thrown away. A usless measurement that only Mortals use.

[x]

High above hanged the royal celestial heavens. It was the land where the legendary kamis lived, the supreme and ultimate beings. Only the demons and all of their powers could rival them, and even with that, perhaps only the sole Kyuubi no Kitsune itself. It's nine tails were enough to frighten children into doing their chores. Some may doubt their existence, but for the most, there is agreement. However, they are only rumors as the appearance of such large and mythical beasts have yet to be seen. Even these rumors had a mysterious origin; perhaps coming from the land that came from beyond the five shinobi grand countries.

It was night yet again in the certain village that was simply called Konoha by the locals. On a little path, there were four shadows making almost no noise as they crossed from alley to alley. Soft noises could be heard from the footsteps of two of the figures, but it was apparent to some that such footsteps could be hidden away at a single thought. In the center of them all was a shadow that that was taller than the others. They moved as a group, finally reaching the brightly lit center of a lower-class inn.

Though not for the rich or famous, this little mother and father place seemed well-kept. The paper on the doorframes made a nice color when the lights behind them created a glowing effect of the softest yellow. The tall shadow moved forth and gently slid the door open; his sun-kissed hair almost merging with the glow for a few seconds. One by one, the other three shadows followed, showing themselves as the forms of people: children, in fact, perhaps none of them older than eleven. The air of them all seemed to have somewhat of a serious, yet comedic, effect. The silver haired boy seemed to have his thoughts firmly planted in the ground, whereas a raven-haired child seemed to have it amongst the clouds. In between them both was a female girl, looking from them both with a bored expression.

"Excuse me," came a calm voice from their leader; the leader of Team Seven. In the future, perhaps their team would be called Team Minato or Team Namikaze, but for now, it was just seven. In a different world and a different dimension, 'seven' is the epitome of luck. Yet, sometimes history never made it so...

"Have you seen a teen THIS big," began the tan haired female, Rin, as she stretched her arms as tall as she could go, "and THIS skinny?" Her hands then moved in a direction where they showed someone who was not too skinny, but definitely one who worked out. After a few moments, it seemed that she was trying to rack her brain for more useful information. "Oh! And he has SUPER blonde hair, like Sensei's!" she added with a point.

Minato chuckled slightly in his mind while shacking his head to and fro a bit. It was a slight gesture that signified he thought that description was rather..._odd_, but it worked. The shorter man with jet black hair took a quick glance towards their forehead protectors and then mumbled something about trying to recall where the lad's room was. After a few moments, the innkeeper called out the words of 'room 267', which was a normal, one-person bedroom. It was one of the cheaper rooms in this small, tiny inn.

One by one, the members of Team Seven marched forwards and formed up in a line. Minato was towards the front, since discovering the identity of this 'Naruto Uzumamein' was now a B-Rank mission. The blond hair that hanged towards the sides of his face swayed as he took small and inaudible steps. The man could still remember those words exchanged when his team met the Sandaime to speak about the mysterious child.

_"Well, what do you have to report?" came the small call as the aged, but not necessarily old, leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves took a deep breath from his pipe. The white smoke billowed out from the bowl-like end of it, dissipating in the air above. It was almost late afternoon, soon to be rushing into the evening, and Minato had a feeling placed off a bit about a certain teenager._

_Kakashi spoke up first, using his normal, informative voice. The adult knew of the reason as to why this small, silver haired child was so keen on keeping towards the 'laws' of a ninja, yet sometimes... "When asked about some information, Hokage-sama, he started to explain that he knew of a team called Team Seven."_

_"Except there has been very little team 'Sevens' to begin with, isn't that right, Minato?" Another exhale of tobacco came from the man who was asking the question. The Sandaime was never one to smoke something strong or bitter. A sweet scent of some herbs that was mixed with the plant could be whiffed in the air. Minato subconsciously moved his nose a bit before answering back._

_"As Konoha is perhaps only a few generations old, young for a Shinobi nation, there have only been about seven to five that fit in a fifteen year time span. Considering that one does not remember until the age of three or four..." Minato trailed his statement off, trying to see if his team could pick up on this little tad bit of information._

_The black haired Obito Uchiha answered first, which seemed to have come off as a minute shock towards Kakashi. "Since two 'Team Sevens' have died by the time Naruto was at least four, it would place about four to three teams left that he could have possible memory of. However, all of the ones before us have disbanded or died 'cause we are the current team."_

_"Yet," began Rin slowly, thinking her way towards this as well, "he responded greatly towards our faces, but most importantly Kakashi-kun's face; even going to the point of calling him 'sensei'... A name like his isn't exactly one you see everyday tied towards the end of Kakashi-kun, but this Naruto seemed to be in full belief of his words."_

_"He is very suspicious," finally added the high level chuunin, Kakashi himself. "It took a few moments, but he suddenly shut himself up and promptly left everyone. His stance seemed of great nervousness and his speed stated that he needed to get out the area and fast; too fast for an untrained civilian. I have a feeling he was fearing recognition."_

_The Hokage took a deep sigh and then stood up before turning around to face the glass windows. The sun was setting, and the deep reds and oranges were filling the sky, casting a soft, golden glow. Night was to befall them within an hour or so. A blond shinobi nodded at all three members of his team for having good deductions. Even he wasn't quite certain about whom Uzumamein was. This team effort deduction was well thought, but not yet finished._

_Sandaime turned around then, rubbing his temples slightly. "As you may or not know, we have no records of a 'Naruto' ever being a Leaf Shinobi, and there are no documents on his existence either. This could come to the conclusion that he could be a spy for the other nations and-"_

_Kakashi glared a bit, frowning behind his mask. Minato could see the small fabric creases. "This 'could come to the conclusion,' Hokage-sama? There is more information betting on the thoughts that he is a spy of some sort. Perhaps Iwa itself." It was somewhat of a rash call, and both of the adults knew it, but at least the child's voice was not raised in a tone of anger._

_Placing his hand down on Kakashi's shoulder, the Namikaze shook his head back and forth. "We cannot assume one is a spy directly because they are not one from Konoha's records. He could be a refugee in this time of war, making a lie so he could gain asylum. Perhaps a refugee for Iwa itself, frightened that we might kill him if we found out. There are too many gaps right now, and not enough information. As it is, our own information on our own troops are lacking a bit due to the clutter and chaos of war."_

_"Which is why I am giving Team Seven this mission," calmly stated the Sandaime. "It's a low B-Rank, perhaps, as we have no idea of Naruto's skills. You are to try to find out about his past, as a personal request for Konoha. As for the actual war itself, it is still too dangerous to send you in. This includes you, too, Minato. Your unique jutsu is...beginning to become a bit known, so I think it is wise to hide it until things become more serious and you perfect it." With that, they were dismissed, ready to begin their new mission dealing with a certain blond, blue-eyed, tall teen who claimed to be a Konoha-Nin._

_"You know..." began Obito as they started their search for the child, "if he really is a spy, he's gotta be one HELL of an actor."_

_Rin punched him._

"Here's his-"

Minato came alert, suddenly covering Kakashi's mouth and mentioned to not move or make a single noise. Through the wooden and paper door came the slightly audible jumble of words. This room that Naruto rented was to be of a single person, and the shadows indicated thus. Yet, why was there something akinned to a conversation going on in there?

"-hadda mean you 'don't know'! ARG! Some 'all-_powerful_' being YOU are!" came a mock cry.

Rin managed to toss a small look of confusion towards her team mates, who were looking back with a rather odd expression as well. Even Minato was lost, but his face retained its calm disposition. _What is going on?_ he thought, adjusting himself slightly in order to hear better. However, he kept the rest of his team in their same positions.

"I HEARD THAT!" came the cry once more. He froze for a few moments, thinking that the Uzumamein had heard his students, but then the silhouette of the child just moved further away. "Gesh, you would think that after this past year or so he would learn I could hear those minute grumbles..." There seemed to be a soft sigh, but even that was hard to hear because of the door. The last sentence, however, made it seem like a normal conversation of reassurance to oneself, but the few statements before that...

The form moved towards the left a bit, and through the shadows one could see the arms reach up and untie the forehead protector. The outline of the hair fell down a bit, turning into a messier, yet balanced shape. "Dang, I forgot to buy pajamas. Good thing this hotel has rentals." There was some more silence as the shadow quickly changed into what Minato concluded was the said PJs. There was a sound of a little plop as the shadow fell out of the paper's viewable port, but the rare sound still fluttered through. "Aw...Gama-chan has its bulge all gone. DARN IT, how am I supposed to get money if they don't really believe I am a ninja? I need those Ranked missions." With a grunt, there was a thump, and then the lights were turned off.

With a flick of his wrist, the blond leader silently told everyone to pull back. Once in the far edge of the hallway, they left the inn, saying thanks towards the innkeeper, who just gave a nod before turning attention towards a new coming customer. Once they reached the dead of night outside, the four figures walked away for a bit before reaching an isolated intersection. One single lamp from a store was all that gave light, and even then it was hard to see the figures.

"Well, that was enough for today," began Minato as he placed his hands in his pockets. He tired to place the information into something that made at least a little bit of sense, but it was rather difficult with that tab bit of a conversation. What he had originally planned to do was to sneak into the room, but the child was still awake and not in a deep sleep. "I don't believe he heard us, so that puts that his words could be accurate and not a false. Then again, we don't know for sure."

"He could be a little bit not-so-right-in-the-head, sensei!" exclaimed Obito right before Rin pumbled her fist down rather hard.

"DARN IT, OBITO! Minato-sensei was trying to have an intellectual conversation!"

With a little movement, he placed his hand down on both of his team's shoulder and gave them a small smile. "Now, everyone," he began, looking at everyone with his blue eyes. "We at least managed to gather that he was - or is - some type of ninja, but his words seem to have no harm at this current moment. In fact, it makes it sound like all he wants to do is work for his money."

Kakashi nodded a little bit, turning his head to face the general direction where the inn was. "From that single source of stealth data, I have to agree that it reinforces the fact that he could be a refugee. However, there are still far too many holes in our investigation. On top of that, those mocking words he said at...someone or something were very interesting."

With a little nod, the blond adult turned to face the edge of the street. "We will meet again tomorrow on the southern bridge at noon. I want all of you to try to gain some ideas on how approach this mission without being detected by Naruto Uzumamein." As a last note, he gave each and every single one of his students a smile. "Good night and I hope none of you get in trouble for staying out this late."

It was late, but not entirely late. For small children with parents, they were already scuttled off towards their covers, letting their minds wander off towards the Land of Dreams. For adults, they still had more of the night to live and endure. If one was a clan leader, they might have had a different night than most adults, but the theory was the same. The darkness was a time to think alone.

[x]

The moonlight danced through the windows of his small home. He had no clan, but he did have a decent sized building floor from saving little pieces of Ryus over time. It was still a place to call home, at least. With a little sigh, he sat down and placed himself on a couch, staring at the ceiling for a few moments. He could hear the soft sounds of the night creatures whisper amongst themselves for a bit. After a few moments, he sat back up and then walked towards one of his training rooms. Flipping on the switch, blue eyes casually glanced towards the area where he had stored some of his new, special kunai. Pulling one out, he took a little look at it.

Being three-pronged, it was more difficult to handle than a normal kunai. He smiled a bit as to why he thought of three instead of using simple one edged, but decided that this new jutsu of his would have to stand out a bit. Like a bit of a signature mark, he mused softly. On the gripping handle, there was some sort of weather-proof paper to write a seal into, but as of yet, it was empty. His _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ was still a bit incomplete. The markings of a seal he had currently could only work on objects that had enough space to fit the seal itself, and a kunai grip was still too small. Kunais were the best way to use his jutsu at it's full potential, as he had planned it to so that the metal objects didn't need to hit their targets in order for him to go from place to place. He had been trying to condense the markings for a few months already, as well as working on-

"Jiraiya-sensei...I know you are there," he sighed a bit, before placing his hands down and giving forth his own sensei a smile. "What brings you all the here back to Konoha?"

There was a little puff of smoke as a tall, white-haired male in his late thirties puffed in, scowling a little bit. "Is it wrong of me to try to take a little look at my still-single, but my favorite student! Oh, I am so hurt right now," he added, bringing his hand towards his chest. The man turned left and right, then smirked a bit. "I declare that you need a girl right about now! This _can't_ be all you do at night!"

"Jiraiya-sensei..." Sometimes carrying a serious conversation was difficult.

[x]

Soft noises of water slowly dripping echoed throughout this plane of existence. What this was was the inner workings of a mind and soul; a place where two entities would meet with each other and more than often, argue. Tonight, a small, teenaged figure stood right before a large, bronze-like cage, held together with no lock, but a little slip of paper. It read the character of 'seal' upon it; the ?. This was the first time in a while that he actually stepped within this room, and naturally for a good reason as well. The evil and malice that enveloped this room was something that filled the air into an almost solid state.

He did not come here on purpose. He almost never did.

The lack of light made his hair almost seem orange in color as the shadows remained pitch black. Rising up his eyes, he took a little glance at the seal mark, and froze. Oh, the seal still existed, but was transparent. Almost as if it was a ghostly image and that sent sudden shivers down his spine. A silent whisper went through his throat, but it refused to come out. _T-The seal!_

**"It's about time you see for yourself, Naruto. Of course, I had to drag you in here to begin with."** A small, yet evil chuckle resonated throughout the area. All the blond could do was stare at the paper. Being translusive, his eyes could see the metal gates behind it. He was a little bit surprised earlier in the day at the simplicity of calling upon the Kyuubi's voice to ask those few questions about where he was, but never thought of it beyond those few moments. Now he wished he had.

It couldn't be broken now, though. It couldn't, and Naruto knew that. He was still himself, with his blue eyes and six thin lines across his face. He tried his hardest to let himself become removed from being frozen is place, but all he managed was a slight shiver.

WHAM! A large, crimson claw hit the cage. To Naruto's horror, the front doors budged the slightest of centimeters before reverting back towards their original position. The small paper still hung there, showing no change except for still being as transparent as before. **"Frightened? You have no need to do so, Naruto,"** it growled as red steam came pulsing out of the bars. **"I've been trying since I noticed that little unique tweak in the seal. However, no matter how hard I try..."** Naruto could only jump back as the sound of a tail hit the bars as hard as it could. Like before, it moved only a few centimeters. Never more, never less. **"...it always reaches only a fraction of a mere movement. But, we both know that it could have never done this before, right, Na-ru-to?"** The bijuu finished that last word with a deep sense of malice.

The teen managed to gather his courage back up after his prior movement when he saw the tail flail about. "What did you do to the seal!" he cried out, anger boiling. He was confused and very irritant at this moment. Narrowing his eyes, he made a fist, almost piercing his normal fingernails into his skin.

**"I did nothing. If anything, **_**Naruto**_**, I should be 'thanking' YOU. It was because of you that we are in an area where I have more influence over your small, mortal body. No longer are we in a land where you or this seal exist until a few days ago..."** The Kyuubi laughed evilly before the eye slits met Naruto's own gaze. The sound stopped when the demon revealed its sharp, pointy teeth. **"Of course, the Yondaime's seal has to still be here as you fell in this land from your own, but perhaps I will eventually..."**

"So you knew where I was all along!" Naruto screamed out, preventing the monster from continuing its talk. It was entering a dangerous subject; it was not one that the teen was eager to jump into. What he knew and cared about was that the entity and soul was still infused with his, unable to escape.

**"I don't always have to tell you the truth, Naruto," **the Kyuubi finished. With a wave a chakra, Naruto was plunged out of that place and landed...

He threw open his eyes and gasped as the pulled his hand over his head to block the sun's rays from piercing into his brain. "UGH!" he cried out, throwing the back of his head into the pillow once more. "Today's gonna SUCK, I can tell!"

[x]

_Minato equals love! XD I took the liberty of adding some tid bits of information about Minato and his past/how he made the Hiraishin no Jutsu. I, personally, have no friggen clue how he created that jutsu to begin with ((as I'm sure basically no one does... -sweats- )), so I tried to deduct using FEHIZISM AUTHOR POWERS! -wiggles fingers-_

_As for the Kyuubi, he's still sealed, in case that wasn't obvious. I mean, if Naruto is in a land where the Kyuubi was never sealed, then something must have happen to it. Though this chapter had a lot of Kyuubi and Naruto talking near the end, this is just to set a plot beginning. Reviews are very much so wonderful! -nods- -coughs- So...um...__**hand them over!**__ -shot'd-_


	5. Chapter 5

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Sometimes, on the clearest of days, when the water in the lake is at it calmest, a being could see its own reflection staring right back. On the darkest of nights, with only the stars providing slight amounts of light, a being could see the reflection in the lake as well. However, unlike the day, the reflection in the night shows what a being truly believes in oneself. If one were to think he/she was nice and fair, their night reflection will appear towards their mental eye; a reflection that is not of reality, but bent by the minds will. If one were to believe that he/she was a monster in the inside, no matter how subconsciously, that image may appear in their mental eye as well. If two entities were to look at once, one may look at another's reflection and see something vastly different that the original person themselves. This is the true powers of the mental mind, able to project mere thoughts into something that one could believe is the truth.

Yet, the sunlight hitting the surface of a silent lake is sometimes dispelled when a lone stranger comes over and stands by the edge. In the sense of small and mere ripples, they eventually die, extending their energy to try to reach all edges of its boundaries. The lone stranger, however, can give such ripples a new life by simply bending over and picking up a smooth, new rock. Tossing it into the water, if one were to skip it, more than one central series of ripples will be made, much different than the first set.

Though all stemming from the same source, it is the caster of the stone who truly controls the fate of each, tiny ripple as they race off ahead towards the shore and their surrounding areas.

[x]

The sun, shining high above, was the only significant mention that it was to be breakfast time. Like the proclamation made only an hour ago, the day was indeed to be ugly. Dark, ominous clouds hanged over the edge of the horizon, flashing white every once in a while. The air itself seemed to hold in a breath, not daring to bring forth another wisp of movement. Such things were not unnoticed by the citizens of a place they called Konoha. Some of the bodies left towards their homes, but others merely shrugged and proceeded on.

In one of the farther edges of the town resided a small, inconspicuous inn. A teenager was already changed into his normal, and much loved, outfit of two simple colors; black and orange. Around his head was a tightly strung forehead protector, holding back some of his bangs of messy, sun-lit hair. Without an object like that, the hair would fall around his head, creating something like a halo of golden hair. Etched into the metal itself was a small, weird little spiral-like symbol of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was the same village that was about to get pounded soon with a storm.

Raising his hands up, he took a quick glance at the mirror. Yup! Everything was there, and water was not something to be worried about when it came towards the clothing he wore. They could stand more things than normal clothes, or so the woman who sold him the cloth claimed. With the mindset of achieving something important today, he headed off towards the front of the inn. Taking the small, frog-shaped money container, he mentally counted what he had left. After buying new clothes, some nights at the inn, and food for himself, he still had a decent amount left. However, decent was never really enough. He needed a place to stay, and money to afford it.

On top of that, the seal...

He mentally shivered for a few seconds. The blonds' normal happy face fell into a frightened, serious one. In only a matter of seconds though, a determined look was restored within his eyes. He was going to hold that demon back at bay! He'll show that Kyuubi!

There was some more time left before it was time to eat lunch, and breakfast was something else he had to fill his stomach with. It was a great time to stop by his favorite place, but he would have to take the long way around, through the ground, because he still had to look for areas to get a job. Preferably, it would a ninja-job of a rank, but that would, of course, bring upon more questions than he would like. At it was, the _Yondaime_ was showing his head up and around more than once. _As well as his team,_ mused Naruto as he had his hand up towards his chin in a thinking fashion. For now, it could be said as mere coincidence, but he knew better than that right now. Ok, sure, maybe two-three years ago he would have thought nothing of it...

With a quick shake of his head, he walked out into the street, ignoring the rain. What was a little bit of wet stuff falling from the sky going to do to him? Pierce him or something? In front of him was the highly cluttered street alleys of Konoha, filled with a grey mist as the streaks of rain gently fell down from the sky. In the background, people who were getting ready to sell things were either setting up some form of covers, or running around to find a form of cover. It seemed like an average wet morning in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Well, average towards the normal eye. For some reason, Naruto noticed that around every single main roadway, there seemed to be some form of ninja standing there like a form of guard. The shinobi would look around and analyze the heads of the people, giving them all a look, including the blond teen himself! What was weird that the head kept looking back and forth, looking at the expressions and footwork... It took a few moments before he also realized that there were these small black dots - or it looked like black dots through the rain - walking around on the edge of the pale, yellow walls that surrounded the village. It was subtle, but it was sorta of like the days right before Konoha got invaded by Suna and Oto...

"Duh!" he said out loud, slapping his head upon his forehead. He had forgotten about the Great Shinobi Wars, _**again**_. It was so difficult, being in an apparent different time zone, living with older information. Except, this older information was something vague to him. When he was in the Academy, it was all old stuff to him. Stuff that he didn't even want to pay attention to as it was a bunch of things 'related to old men who sat on their rocking chairs, claiming those were the days'. Now, he desired even MORE that he had listen to Iruka-sensei...

[x]

"Jiraiya-sensei...your drunk."

"Nonsense! I was just...sleeping!"

With a small sigh and a shake of the head, the one known as Minato Namikaze stood up from the couch and walked over towards the kitchen as the sounds of the white-haired man went back into snoring. Often the blond man wondered if something short of the apocalypse would awaken the elder one on time. _Well, it's somewhat his fault as he was the one who insisted on going to drink some sake. He knew I never drink that stuff, except there he goes... Ai, sensei..._

Breakfast was simple; just some tiny onigiris with tuna centers and a glass of orange juice. He would have had milk, but he had some of that for dinner as well, and orange juice was still good. As soon as the meal was done, he calmly walked up towards the sink and washed the few dishes before putting them away. The kitchen was small on itself, providing very little space, but it was enough. Minato never really had to cook enough for more than two people at the most, and the second one was his sensei.

Grabbing a little, small scroll, he wrote down in nothing but pure hiragana to tease his teacher for a little bit. It was rather simple, just claiming that he was going out to meet his team and that he better not see his home destroyed, over run with frogs, or with punch holes from woman that were victimized by a certain pervert. Slapping it on the head of his sensei, he could only sigh as Jiraiya refused to move. If anything, he snored just a little bit, keeping his eyes shut. _Same, old Jiraiya..._

Outside, he realized that it was going to rain. The clouds were rolling in, rather heavily, already beginning to block out the sun's rays. There was a slight wind picking up, moving the small ruffles of his hair a bit as he walked down the path towards the bridge where he was to meet his team. On normal days, he would not eat breakfast so late, but last night was not normal, of course. He hadn't seen his old teacher in months, so it was a nice - if sometimes awkward - meeting.

By the time he made it towards the red painted piece of architecture, a small drizzle haze filled the sky. Like expected, his team arrived there on time. Well, that is, all of them minus...

"Ah, sorry I am late everyone!" came a little cry from the black haired Uchiha. He chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "See, there was this cabbage cart that collapsed, so I had to go and fix-"

"Dope, stop making such livid claims. You should know better than that," came the collective speech from Kakashi. Minato could only shake his head. It was like this all the time. Obito would arrive late, Kakashi would scold him, and then Rin would punch him a bit. Then he would come in and prevent it from going any further...

"Alright everyone, I think that is enough. We still have a mission to finish and do, so I prefer not to start with bulges on a certain Uchiha head." With a slight smile, he nodded at every single person for a few moments, before pointing off towards the distance. "I think that today is a good day to see what type of subjects Uzumamein does on such days like this. Remember that the best way to know an 'enemy' is by studying their habits." As of yet, they were still undecided wither or not he strange person was an enemy, so saying words with such connotation was not exactly appropriate. However, letting a sense of security overwhelm them was not a good thing either. It was best to go in a neutral state of things when relating to topics like this.

With a little hand gesture from him, they all ran off towards the edge of the city, keeping in mind that the rain was a well cover over some minute noises as well as their shapes. Of course, the best place to begin such a search would be inside the inn, but a quick glance at the innkeeper just shook his head. The man seemed to knew that the Team Seven was interested in the young teen, and he had explained that the blond had left off towards the outside.

[x]

A couple of hours had already passed, and the rain didn't seem like it wanted to let up. Since the outside was still painted in the grays and silvers, Minato had dismissed them for lunch, but were expected to return within an hour at the bridge yet again.

With a few steps, avoiding the ever-growing puddles, there was something that didn't seem right about this certain day. More certainly, this precise hour. It seemed to nag at the back of his mind, like an itch that was unable to be reached unless with an extended piece of metal or wood. Take a deep breath before sighing slight, his blue eyes surveyed the area, looking for some place to stop by and eat. He could return home and talk to his teacher, but had decided that maybe that man was probably still asleep upon the couch.

Eventually, the time passed and the team met up again. However, it seemed like luck was on Obito's side.

"I FOUND himmmm!" happily exclaimed the odd-ball Uchiha, with a large smile plastered on his face. His finger was pointing off towards the far edge, seemingly mocking Kakashi, who had left towards the opposite area. "He was walking through the stores, looking around. Seemed pretty harmless to me! I think he was looking for something, 'cause he has that face that you have when you want to look for something, sensei!"

Rin, who had slightly widened eyes at the fact that the raven-haired boy arrived on time for once, only took a look at both the teacher and the pupil. "Well, sensei DOES have a unique face when he tries to find something, but that's cause it's something serious. That guy didn't seem like someone who has a serious and calm personality."

The taller man waved his hands around in the rain, trying to bring this conversation towards a close. The only one who hadn't uttered a word was none other than Kakashi, who usually stayed quiet for everything not really dealing with the mission. Of course, talking back to Obito was something else as well, but still... "Alright. Now since Obito had discovered where the Uzumamein is, I suggest we head off towards there and keep watch. Treat this as a stealth mission and try not to be seen by him too often."

"What about you, sensei?" wondered the silver haired child. His blue mask was still on, turning a darker color than the sky around at this moment. All in all, now that Minato thought about it, everyone was well-dressed in colors and hues that prevented others from noticing them. Only the blonds' hair seemed to not blend in with the surroundings, standing like the color of the bright sun.

"I am going to go eat some lunch, or at least it will look like I am only doing that. Since the only place nearby is some dangos, I think I'll have that and some green tea as well."

[x]

Naruto Uzumamein was someone else entirely. He had the same eyes as his sensei, had the same colored hair as his sensei, has the same skin tone as his sensei, had the same hair style as his sensei, except had the attitude that consisted of someone completely opposite of his sensei.

Such attitude was apparent, especially with his constant smile that stretched across the face. He seemed really excited about something, except, something also seemed on the teen's mind when he stared off towards the walls still hidden in the falling rain. His forehead protector was still there, glistening slightly with the sheen of rain. _He's probably antsy about some attack coming in from Iwa, like everyone else,_ he mused slightly, getting closer towards the teen. He was considered an upper chuunin, border-line jounin, and his stealth skills were excellent. Naturally, there was no way that a teen like that could sense him. Maybe his teammates - minus his sensei, of course - but not him.

There were some slight noises in the background.

In the teenager's hands was a small stack of papers, all in different forms of scripts, like kanji, hiragana, and even one that seemed to be completely out of katakana! (Perhaps a business wanted a little _too_ much attention as such characters were sometimes an eyesore.)

The background noises were getting a bit louder.

The direction the teen faced seemed to imply that he was heading back towards the inn, which was a great thing because it was already getting late. The sunlight was beginning to slowly filter away from the clouds, which had pierced through very slightly in order to make the world appear grey instead of black. Everything had this slight darker tinge, which made it easier to hide his body.

More clutter noises in the background. It was getting harder to ignore them.

His object of interest, the Uzumamein, continued to walk, arching his head over towards the sound for a few, brief seconds before shacking his head and beginning to walk off towards the section of the village where his room was. The road seemed to be in a bad state, turning into a primitive form of a muddy river, and that was when Kakashi noted that this guy must have had SOME form of ninja training. For, you see, he was protecting the papers by covering them with chakra. It took a while for him to notice because the rain was not smearing the ink across the pages, and he hadn't look THERE at that moment.

A man ran into the middle of the road, and began to call out for Minato...

Wait.

His sensei jumped out of wherever he was hiding, and instantly the air seemed to change. Even the teenager had stopped, for Minato had basically phased right in front of his face. The man who started the whole commotion had his hands gripped towards the side, and had a stone face. _What's going on?_ he thought, jumping out of his spot as well to stand next towards his teacher. Following his example, Rin and Obito came out of their area as well, each of them with a face of confusion.

"-and the Iwa-nin's have already crossed some inner parts of Fire Country's borders! They came in a swarm, using the earthly colors of their uniforms to enter and blend with the surroundings! On top of that, some of the ANBU teams that were surveying that area have gone missing, presumed dead! We need you and anyone else who can help try to enter the countryside and either defeat them, or shove them back into a retreat! This is their first major offensive!"

"I-I-Invaded!" screamed out the blond teen. "Fire Country's being INVADED!" His body language made it apparent that he was teething with anger, and his eyes were set in the same manner as his sensei's when he was REALLY angry.

Minato's face was filled with nothing but pure comprehension of the seriousness of the statement. "I'm going to the north gate. Rin and Obito, you go home and make sure that the rest of the citizens know about this. Kakashi, you are to come with me as you have more capabilites and-"

Naruto burst himself in at this moment, screaming and pointing at the adult man. "I'm going as well! I'm **not** about to let Konoha be invaded again!"

[x]

_Yeah! Enjoy! -nods- And thanks so much for those nice reviews! I am so happy you think this fanfic has a 'feel' of a novel! -dances- ((Of course, minus the author notes. -winks-)) I try to aim at that setting 'cause I believe in high quality fanfics! Or whatever it is called. XD_


	6. Chapter 6

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

In the world, there are many definitions of the word for 'race.' For some, the word 'race' stands for people of different ethnicities. That, in all, is a rather well summary as it is the most general one of them all. It stands for the origins of certain families, tracing history down many levels to find the core of all culture and the basis of thought. It could also be the reason as to why people would run around and proclaim one to be inferior. There are even those who believe that their own family was a race of its own; a highly superior race that none other could go and comprehend of their value and importance over everything else. It was just the mind sets of people, based off some inner, primitive thing, as well as the lacking of a true, good heart. Those who could see beyond the concept of a 'race' were a rare and sure blessing upon the world, and a certain figure with the sky as eyes was the entombment of that ideal.

Yet, there is the other term for a 'race'. This term was for those who had to reach a goal, or an end. It was something that meant that speeds that was usually not normal for the average citizens of a town. In some cases, a race was nothing more than a spectator sport of one person against another for friendly means.

This race was something else. It was a race against time itself as three blurs were heading off towards the only road that would lead out of the Village Hidden in the Leaves - the town of Konoha. In a sense, there were more ways out through what was called non-civilian means, but the best way in and out was through the main gate located towards the north. Towards the far distance, the characters of ? were glistening softly in the raining mist. Though it was late morning, the clouds that kept around the heavenly ceiling were crying just as much as they were earlier in the morning.

One of the blur's blue eyes pierced off towards the distance with steel. It was not an expression that this teenager usually wore as he was outgoing and generally more cheerful. Today, however, a race had begun. Two other figures didn't exactly want him to hang around, but his determination won out in the end. Wither they wanted too or not, a teen from a different plane of time was going to help.

And somewhere, far away, the ripple of such time waned. Just a bit, perhaps, but it was significant enough to change a small detail. For something called indestructible and always continuous... even it must have backdoors and hidden weakness.

[x]

Naruto pressed his _zori_ down on the ground, jumping from one red shingled building towards another. On normal days, he would have been running around and admiring the views from such a height, but not this moment. His footprint left splintering wood. While not necessarily the smartest thing to do outside of a ninja village, _inside_ it was alright. After all, the race was still continuing; an endless battle for the reaches of the northern skirts of the town.

Konoha was built in a defensive manner. Towards the far south were the large mountains that created the base for the Hokage Monument. Though not tall enough to be called snowy caps, they were taller than the hills which surrounded the village. All around was a large, thick wall that was able to stand up towards anything a civilian could throw against it, as well as spots for Jounin to see far beyond and look towards the horizon. One could see for miles if it was not for the rain that was steadily falling down.

"Minato-sensei!" came the serious tone of Kakashi as they raced from area to area in the mists. "Where are we going towards?" The gates, which the blonde haired teenager knew was towards the North, were a bit of a distance from them. Especially since it seemed like they were going a few miles west from them.

With a quick turn, Naruto saw a face that he recognized as something plastered upon the Monument; the serious gaze. Except this time, it was in pure color, allowing those blue eyes to pierce into both of their very souls. His golden side hairs flowed in the rushing wind as he kept on leading the way. The same sort of confusion was on the other figure. He had jet black hair as well as black eyes that gleamed slightly. Unlike Kakashi, he was wearing the Konoha vest, and it was apparent that it was packed with scrolls at the last minute.

"Minato-san, I must as to as why you are heading this way as well. Iwa was clearly invading from the north, but we are still in Konoha! We should be going off with the other Uchiha and protect the borders wi-"

With a quick and verbal action, the taller man quieted him with a single look. "I need to pick up some necessary things at my home, Fugaku. It will be very crucial in the times to come. Besides, Jiraiya should still be there..."

Naruto stared straight on ahead, a little stunned by those words, but he tried his hardest to not make it show. He had never heard of a guy called Fugaku, but Jiraiya was a totally different story. First, it was the Yondaime-to-be, then it was his old teacher Kakashi, and NOW it's Jiraiya! Waves of past memories slapped him across the mental face, but he allowed himself to continue further and dismiss those thoughts for now. Saving Konoha was more important.

"-and of all things, this nobody decides to come with us! For all we know-!"

"ENOUGH!" barked out Mianto as his glare grew slightly towards the black haired man. "Naruto Uzumamein decided to do this by himself, and Konoha has no time for this!" Whipping his head back towards the silver haired teen, he motioned his head towards the distance. "Kakashi, take them off for now. Don't exit through the gate; rather, head towards the guard tower way over there. I'll meet you there in a few seconds. Full pace it, and take Fugaku Uchiha with you, as well as Naruto."

Then, the man just disappeared. He just, well, _flashed_ away. If the teen would have blinked, he would have missed the residue yellow light that seemed to hover in the rain before, too, dissipating. "Even with the Sharingan I couldn't see it..." came a soft mutter of awe from the elder man next to Naruto. He was in shock, and a small part of his brain registered that the speed was surreal.

**"Had I known of this technique sooner, I would have eaten him first. Or rather, eaten **_**you**_** before all of this mess has started. That way, I could have used that blond fool of a mortal as a toothpick,"** 'growled' the bijuu in his head. It had a voice of amusement, like one would have over deciding wither to have miso or meat-based ramen for lunch. It was rather unsettling still that the demon now seemed to have freer access to his thoughts. Dismaying it away, he kept his eyes set towards the looming figure.

However, once they arrived there, waiting for them was none other than Minato! He was carrying a small scroll, holding it in his hands like it was something that was worth its weight in gold. Behind him was a small, tiny patch of paper no larger than a small ramen bowl that had strange markings all over it. It was almost like some sort of seal-shaped thing. Whatever the case, his appearance stunned them all. "I am beginning to see how the citizens and some shinobis are calling you the 'Yellow Flash'..." came a small mutter from Kakashi.

Mentally, Naruto slapped his head again. Of _course_ the move was so fast! It was that...Hi-something move that was made this man in front of him just short of a Konoha diety! Rapidly changing his thoughts, he turned around to see Jiraiya appear a few moments later in a furry of leaves. _Jiraiya...!_ **"He's a good man for weakening the seal, little mortal..."** came the dripping voice. **"I really **_**do**_** like him,"** was the evilly-tipped afterthought.

The white haired man took a quick glance at Naruto and raised his eyes. Something seemed to register in the man's brain, but he quickly turned over and took that serious face that the golden haired teen had rarely seen before. "I can't believe I haven't heard of any of this. There have been rumors in the country, but in general, nothing has leaked through of this magnitude."

With a little nod, Minato turned his gaze towards Naruto and the silver haired child. "Kakashi, take Naruto with you and travel a different path from Jiraiya and myself. We will meet up on that town with the hot springs in order to have more land spotted for Iwa-nin. If you run into any trouble, remember that whoever it is will be of a rank of at least high Chuunin. You may be close to a Jounin, but Uzumamein is undecided.

"Fugaku, travel with the rest of the Uchiha in the direct route. Jiraiya and I will try to do an ambush. Leave now!"

And with that, everything moved away in the mist.

[x]

Kakashi inwardly sulked. He was being babysitter. Not to just anyone, but his sensei's whiskered _clone_.

But, as an order from Minato-sensei, he was going to listen to it. It was also his job mission, and he would always do that without fail, no matter what had to be done to him physically and mentally. Quietly, they both continued, running off towards the far distance that was the border areas. The speed that Kakashi was going at was rather intense, so he hoped the blond could keep up.

And he did. Not only did the teen keep up, but was out_pacing_ Kakashi, the genius. Forcing perhaps a little too much chakra to be considered a 'safe' technique - as they still have to go on further many miles - the silver child raced onwards. It seemed as if the blond ignored the need for some things like rest or solider pills, because he just kept on going! Not allowing himself to be bested, he forced himself to go on; the worry and fear over the balance between Konoha and Iwa's possible confrontation cutting into him like a steel blade.

_If only I had that Chidori move something relatively close to being completed!_ he yelled out in his mind. It would be a great help. Not only that, but something in the pit of his stomach was bothering him. Like something bad...

[x]

It was silent for a few moments as Naruto edged closer towards the group of Iwa-nin. He could tell from their faces that none of them were really set on having peaceful negotiations with Konoha, nor turn around and go back from the land they came from. Hell, he didn't know WHY the war between Konoha and Iwa began! Maybe it was 'cause the Kage of that land decided to run off and attack Konoha for something retarded. Like land. Can't people get more or less along?

Well, maybe not now it was such a great idea to think such things. The men that Kakashi and he were watching were all alert, and none of them seemed like weak chuunins. Each one of them strong, and ready to kill something; anything. In his hand, he had a kunai; its sharp, metal edge looking dull in the falling rain. Though Iwa-nin were strong in the aspects of Daton - the earth style - ninjutsu, the rain was a bad streak of luck for them. However, it had hidden them rather well. So well, in fact, that the team of two had nearly run into them.

The distance was rather far from Konoha, but not as close towards the border as one would have hoped. Naruto clenched his hands together, narrowing his eyes and giving the enemy ninjas a hard look. They were still hidden safely among the trees, but it was getting to be hard to keep up with the pace while staying as silent as possible. Kakashi had stated that it would be best if they followed them for a bit to see if they would lead towards bigger numbers of their group, or say something interesting, but as of yet, they were entirely silent. All of the tension was making him fret, wanting to take them down for invading HIS homeland, wither he was born yet or not!

The small child behind the teen shuffled about and made a sudden movement that only Naruto could tell. Kakashi had stated that if he made a movement, it was time to begin _other_ means of getting some information out.

Kunais flashed about as the sounds of the Iwa-nin deflecting them filled the small area between the trees in a matter of moments. Some screaming and confusion noises erupted, but the blond haired teen knew exactly what to do. Torturing other ninjas was something he would never think of doing on normal occasions, so even then he was a bit hesitant. But, he forcefully pushed that aside, locking it up with a little mental wall. He had to help Konoha!

"FIND THOSE KONOHA-NINS!"

With a blur, Kakashi sped forwards with his kunai in his hand and a sword strapped towards his back. The silver hair whistled in the wind as Naruto saw him speed off towards a target. He would have watched a bit more, but there was still another Iwa-nin hanging around that Naruto had to take care of. Placing his hands in a single seal, he softly muttered out 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu'. With small poofs, about five copies of him were ready. With a silent order, he made them run ahead, but left one with him just in case.

Clanging noises could be heard as the shadow clones were fighting one man. Naruto was close, having his hand in his kunai holder, ready to pull one out just in case. His shadow clone was on his rear end, watching for anything in the background. The Iwa-nin was blocking all of the kunai attacks from the copies, sweating and with his face angry. No words were exchanged as the fight was going on. One by one, the copies poofed away from existence...

Running out from the bushes as the man did the last sweep against the lone standing clone, Naruto raced forewords and plunged his kunai into the man's abdomen. Blood spluttered out, oozing down the side as the enemy ninja changed his face from anger towards sudden pain and confusion. He was, however, still able to move until a yellow blur fell down and stabbed a sharpened kunai horribly into the man.

Silence reigned once again as Naruto stood up and dismissed the clone that had finished the job. The Iwa-nin was alive, but would die eventually. It was what Kakashi had stated was the right thing to do for now, and though it was not in normal behavior of him, they were going to have to get info somehow.

The two men glared, all heavily injured. The one Kakashi had fought against seemed more hurt than the one that the teenager had bashed around, but they were both unable to move. And once this was done...

"I-I can't bel-lieve we were caught by the so-called _Y-Yellow Flash_..." came a mutter from one of them as they glared drill holes into Naruto's skull before coughing out some blood laced with mucus.

Pulling out a kunai, he gave the two of them a hard face, holding out the sharp metal object in front of their thoughts. "I am Naruto Uzumamein, NOT Minato Namikaze. And, we would like to know what the hell you Iwa-nin are thinking of doing!"

Kakashi already had his kunai by the other man's throat, burying it in by a little bit. "Tell us, or I will kill you in a horrible manner."

[x]

Minato raced ahead, jumping from tree to tree as the rail fell upon his hair and clothing. Right behind him was his sensei, Jiraiya. They had yet to run into any sort of enemy disturbances, but they must be getting close. For a ninja's pace, the Fire Nation's border was a day away or so. The faster Iwa-nins could have already perpetrated closer in than the en mass ones.

This was why he was on this side. 'Normal' ninjas would take the shortest route if they were slower, whereas the faster ones would try to be hidden and take the long way around. A smart idea, as it also made a searcher for such people have to travel more land to find them, whereas an enemy could just race towards the intended target.

And that was Konoha, his precious town.

Right in front of them was the looming area of a hot spring village. The rain made it hard to see for sure, but...

"You can smell that as well, Jiraiya?" came the soft voice from Minato as they continued side by side for protection. A single nod was the affirmation that was horrible to comprehend. "It's smoke. Some branch of enemy shinobi must have breeched by and attacked the town."

"If it smells this much right now, during all this rain, they might still be there, Minato. We don't know how many and..." The white haired man's voice trailed off as he saw the blond man stop and pull something out from his Jounin vest.

It was a three-pronged kunai, gleaming as if it was brand new in the falling rain. "While we were running here, I realized something about my seal for a new move I have been practicing on. Something drastically important. The old one was too large to fit on the handle, but then it suddenly came to me." Placing his hand on the handle, he pushed some chakra into the piece of metal and then removed it. Right in front of the two faces was a series of symbols; the sign of a seal.

"If worse comes to worse," the adult man began, brushing the remaining seals on all of the kunais he had, "I can always use this." On any other day, he would have been excited that he had finally managed to make the perfect seal to fit in the kunais, but now there was something else going on. "This will be the catalyst for my Hiraishin no Jutsu."

Thus, as the Iwa-Konoha War, the Third Shinobi War, looms upon them, a new legend was about to beginning and a hero born in a furry of golden light and color...

[x]

_Naruto's possible emotional conflicts on interrogating the Iwa shinobi didn't come out as good as it could have been, now that I look upon it once again. P.S. I think I got a timeline for this: It's right after Naruto returns from Suna, so anything that happened after in the manga obviously hasn't existed/happened yet. ;3_


	7. Chapter 7

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Heat.

That was the best way to describe the world around them all.

Two figures of nothing but shadows and blurs finally reached their destination; a city that was once filled with splendor and laughter of happy people relaxing. Today, though, as the sun was hidden behind layers of clouds, this once happy resort was now only a mere cry of its past. Everywhere rested nothing but wood scattered among the ground as the haze of both rain and fire mixed with each other. A teenager and a silver haired child stood next to each other, only staring aghast at the horror in front of them. They were trained in the arts of killing and hiding emotion, but even the grotesque scene in front of them made the son of the White Fang widen his eyes.

It was too horrible for words.

An angry sound, something aligned to an angry animal cry, escaped from the blond hair one. It was filled with rage: that sound. Innocent people were harmed in this slaughter! All around they were, fallen. Some even had a pose like as if they were trying to save themselves, but to no avail. Even in death, the bodies that littered around them had no peaceful look upon their faces. Closer towards the border...these people knew that it was an easier place to get invaded into, but they felt safe, surrounded by their springs of hot water.

"T...This is terrible..." came the small mutter from a certain Naruto 'Uzumamein'. His blue eyes narrowed, scanning the area. He was going to get whoever did this to his home! He was a ninja from the Land of Fire, and he was going to protect it! He was, and is! He had...he had to do _something._ All of this suffering that he witnessed the village people had come into shook him to his very soul.

With a little sound of rustling leaves, Kakashi landed next towards Naruto and gave him a slight glare. On any other time, a certain teenager would have found it odd and funny to see a child glare at someone taller and older than them. "What are you doing!" he mentioned in a hushed voice. "We don't know where those Iwa-nin are, and from the looks of things, everything here has been rather recent! Get up so we can hide, for Kami's sake. You should have learned this while you were a Gennin," came the upset mutter at the end.

Clenching his fists together, Naruto returned the look, but complied with what the young child had said. The words left from the man they had interrogated hanged in his head like a fresh, new mist. What they had learned did not come from the man easily, nor did he give a lot of information, but it was enough for a small grasp of the concept.

From the man, the Iwa-nin coming in were not simply _coming in_ to have a 'simple war' for a bit more land. No, it was a full blown scale invasion with the intent to raze everything towards the ground and take over Konoha and capturing its people! They wanted to prove that they were the strongest out of all of the shinobi villages before moving on and controlling the world! That, in itself, was something that made his blood boil as his eyes keep narrowing and narrowing...

"Minato-sensei!" came a surprised call from Kakashi as two ninjas appeared right in front of both of them. The sudden appearance of them managed to get the teenager to jump up and face both of them. Jiraiya was holding onto many kunai in his fingers by the small loop at the end, looking around the area with his eyes. They finally rested back towards Minato with a little nod of approval.

The golden haired man turned and faced ahead towards both of the younger ninjas, giving them a look that made the daze-like quality around them disappear into a harsh reality. "The Iwa-nin are still in this city. Jiraiya has managed to spot an area where most of them are, but this section of shinobis can't really be the full force of the army." He pulled out a small map and then placed his finger down towards where the town was located on. "This town is actually pretty close towards the interiors of the Fire Nation. That must mean that only the fastest ones managed to make it this far. The majority of them must still be hanging around the northwest border." The man's finger trailed it way up towards the land that just shy of Kusagakure. "We are to get rid of all of the enemy ninjas before they can transverse any closer and attack our shinobi from the rear!"

With that, the golden haired man turned his attention towards the only person that he knew almost nothing about and his student. "Naruto and Kakashi, you are now going to travel with Jiraiya and myself. Once we see some Iwa-nins, you are going to need to place yourselves in positions where you can gather as many ninjas as you can into one spot." With that, he dug into his pocket and pulled out some strange looking kunai and handed it towards Jiraiya. "You will go with them in the background. There is just too few of us to go head on head, so I am going to use _it_ when you throw the kunai over the mass of enemy ninja."

Worry etched itself among the Sannin's face, but Naruto was too busy looking over towards the buildings around them to register that it was the same look that the Ero-Sennin of his time gave to him once in a rare while. "Minato! You might have used the jutsu before on missions, but this is the first time with a kunai implement! I know that you are assured with your own abilities, but-!"

The man shook his head. "It is risky for using a seal which was recently made smaller. But it should work, in theory, and I have no time to practice it. It has to work!"

Tension filled the air as Jiraiya gave a little nod, reluctantly allowing this to continue. What could the older man have done? Whatever the case, Kakashi landed right next towards the opposite side and nodded off towards the distance. "There is more smoke billowing over there, sensei. I think they are about to head off towards the Konoha ninjas."

[x]

Though the city filled with hot springs was cut off from any major city within an hour's pace, it was still too close for comfort. Like earlier, it was a small group of ninjas stalking others in a deadly game of hide and seek. One wrong noise and they would be surrounded with odds against their favor, even with the rain falling down upon them. The grey shadows hid them rather well, but it graced the enemy as well. It was a double-bladed sword, and a group of four had to sharpen it.

Something wasn't right with the boy that looked like Minato.

Jiraiya couldn't place it, but something wasn't _right._ He clutched onto the handle of the kunai and dashed forwards as his hair flew in the wind, trying to decide some thoughts that tossed in his mind. Yes...something was most certainly not right with that teenager boy... Ignoring that for a mere moment, he looked straight ahead where Mianto had already discovered where the bulk of the ninjas were. He had to make sure that nothing bad happened, especially with a risky and untested new form of a technique. Minato, the one with the sun as hair, was the son he never had, and he would be damned if something happened to him.

The Uzumamein jumped ahead, for it was time for them to attract the attention of the Iwa-nin for a few, crucial moments. Jiraiya could feel the sweat begin to slowly form as he saw the teenager race off and made a single symbol of the ram before copies poofed into existence. Then, those said copies transformed into different looking Konoha ninjas. The action seemed to give the other three a small step back in surprise as Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was a Jounin ninjutsu, and a forbidden one at that. Not only that, this teen had just made about fifty of them without breaking a sweat!

"Now!" cried out the teenager as a hoard of them rushed forwards. Kakashi, the small one that was under Minato's team, ran forward with a white sword pulled out next to him. Everything seemed to flash in a moment of a few heartbeats and he raced towards the front as well. Minato was already ahead, throwing normal kunai around the Iwa-nins, trying to make them round about in a group.

One of the brown headed enemy ninjas made some very quick seals and then aimed them at all of them, but everyone narrowly managed to dodge. However, there were many hanging around - at least thirty of them - with their own chakra to use against the four of them. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Jiraiya called out, summoning forth a rather large frog and then bringing it forwards.

In almost a single sound, with kunai and shuriken flying about everywhere, the dissipating noises of the clones filled the air. There were just too many enemies to handle like this!

"Jiraiya! NOW!" erupted the cry in the background, muffled by the noises of metal clashing on metal.

With pinpoint accuracy, the man threw it over the heads of the Iwa-nins. Then, once it reached the center...!

There was a slight flicker of that golden light that he had seen before with the 'test' seals, but this...!

His eyes couldn't even register what was going on. A HUGE explosion of light and sound filled his senses as he felt himself being thrown back into the trees. Dust flew into the air; so fine that it seemed like it got pulverized by something powerful. Before the man could even distinguish what was going on, another explosion rocked the ground, leaving for coughing by the two smaller children as well as himself. Placing his hand in front of his face, he glanced onwards to try to see through the dust. _What the hell just happened!_

Finally, he could see a figure standing in the middle. Like a For-bringer of Death, the slightly hunched over form stood alone in a wall of brown and green 'fog'. The blue eyes were open, wide and burning into the surrounding. Adding to the effect was that there was a ten foot wide creator around him, but at the rim were the horrible, disfigured remains of what used to be thirty-three ninjas.

Minato collapsed.

"SENSEI!" cried out Kakashi as the man who was his teacher's teacher cried out 'MINATO!'

[x]

There was no time for them to rush towards. Through some miraculous way, a low of enemies were defeated, but there were still five hanging around. Every one of them were stunned, some by fear and other by awe. The ones that had gathered their wits together first knew that whatever had just happened, they had to act soon.

**Kill them.**

Naruto gasped as he grabbed his stomach, dropping his kunai. It clattered upon the ground before resting by his foot.

**Destroy them.**

He kneeled over in pain, yelling out loud. Around him were the figures of Jiraiya and Kakashi, protecting both of the fallen blondes. Whatever else was going on was no longer in Naruto's focus. All he could tell was the ground below him that his eyes were watching while the rest of him was filled with pain.

After what seemed forever, the pain subsided, leaving only a mental echo. Panting, the golden haired teen tried to force himself up, but his legs refused to get off the ground for a moment.

"-mein! Uzumamein! Hey, you alright there?" came the voice of Jiraiya. Meekly moving his head over to face the voice, he gave a little nod before passing out upon the floor.

"Something IS not right with that boy..." was the last words he heard until his eyesight was nothing more than inky blackness.

[x]

White. That was the first color that he managed to once again recognize. Moaning a bit, the teenager slowly plopped himself towards a sitting position. Luckily, it seemed as if he was no longer in pain from...whatever had affected him earlier. The sound of curtains flapped by in the background. Though only a few, brief glances at the scenery, he could already guess that he was at the Konoha Hospital. "Uhh..." he whistled out, plopping his hair back down towards a pillow that he knew was behind him.

Suddenly, a head popped up over his own. It was Minato, and the hair hanging at the sides of his face hovered over Naruto's head. A small, caring smile that one would give to a buddy went across the adult's face. "Hey, Naruto. Good to see you awake."

"What happened?"

Minato resumed to the position that he was earlier, which was actually in a seat next to the bedding that Naruto was in. On top of that, the adult man was also wearing the normal hospital clothing, and his headband was not restraining the golden hair. It left for a halo of a look around his head. "You know..." he began, lifting his finger to point at the hair that was Naruto's head. "Jiraiya was right. We do have the same hair style."

"What happened to the ninjas! And...And what are you doing here, too?" Now, Naruto was confused. Just when he had thought he might have been back home for a few tenths of a second!

The older man turned his face towards a slightly more serious approach, looking out the window. "Konoha..." He kept his gaze out there as the teenager fidgeted slightly underneath the covers. "Iwahakure has claimed war against Konohagakure, and vise versa. Due to us preventing the enemy ninja from attacking our shinobi from the rear, we managed to push back them towards their own borders, but it'll be only a matter of time until they go at it again."

Naruto was silent for a moment, thinking about what Mianto had said. "And you're here at the hospital because...?" What was the strongest ninja in the entire Land of Fire - no, of all time - doing in a hospital? It seemed so...weird. Not only that, but the information of Konoha at **war** was slowly sinking in.

"Apparently, I need a little bit more practice with my new jutsu to stop wasting so much chakra that I pass out. That, and I also combined it with a move that was larger than normal. So, I was sent here to make sure I was alright, and when I heard you were around, decided to check on you as well. Rin and Obito wish to say hi as well."

There was something not quite right here. Naruto pressed forwards once again, tilting his head slightly and looking Minato straight in the eyes. "I mean, what are you doing in_ my _hospital room?"

Minato took a look right back. Several moments passed before Naruto pulled away. Something about the man's gaze seemed to stir him a bit in a hard to explain sense. It was hard to keep eye contact with eyes like that! Yet, the man still looked at the teenager, taking in the hair style towards the three marks on each side of the cheek. It was as if he was searching for something, but came up with nothing. The blond teen found it hard to try to place what might have been going in Minato's head. "Jiraiya..." the man began, still looking at the teenager. There was yet another pause. Something was making the future Yondaime hesitate. "Jiraiya wants to know why your eyes turned red with slits while you were in spasms of pain. He claims it is something not associated with a bloodline limit…"

Naruto froze at his position. Outside, birds were singing at a prospect of a new day, gently flying by with almost no care in the world. One small sparrow flew by the window and hopped around on its foot, as if trying to hear the conversation that was surely to follow.

[x]

_-instert a deleted rant about PERSONAL hatred to Uchihas. lawl.-_

_But...good for everyone here - more or less - I don't tend to bash characters in a story ((unless it's a humor comic or fic...which this is not)). So, don't expect Naruto to have a sudden change in personality and have a three paragraph mental monologue on how he loaths Sasuke. 'Cause he doesn't. He wants to save or rescue him. -sighs-_


	8. Chapter 8

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Outside, there was nothing but sunshine, stressing that today was a beautiful day. Everywhere one could look, the eye could see vast arrays of colors, lights, and sounds. The yellow on the flowers stood out just as much as the bright red petals encircling the center. The leaves were a bright emerald, towering over with dark, rich brown trunks for support. Everything seemed like as if it had come out of a picture...

Except for the looks on the occupants faces inside a certain town. Even those who called themselves 'ninjas' and 'shinobis' had a glint of something inside their pupils. It was something that was not normal for such a happy place with such bright colors. No, it was a look that could only be placed as one word: horror. It was the horror that only a few days ago had an army of Iwa-nin storm over a hot spring town and decimated it. The refugees from that town were already coming in, many of them with nothing but the clothing upon their backs. It was a sharp transition in trust as well as anything else. Tensions with the country of Iwa were already strained earlier during team vs. team death 'brawls', but now everyone thought of the war.

So far, it was just Konoha and Iwa, but many thought that other lands might be pulled into this. Rumors that this conflict could become another 'Great Shinobi War' were on the tongues of many people. Already, the citizens were feeling the effects as security was being tightened up, and ninjas were patrolling every single area that they could see. The Sandaime was rumored to have already gone ahead and dispatched some of the ANBU teams to search for enemy ninja and have 'talks' with them.

And yet, in this land, there was still a beacon of hope and light that was beginning to form. It was small, and not much noted for it was just the beginning of a war, but it was there among a few. Stories of a man who had brought death towards seventy, fifty - no, two hundred, one claimed - enemy ninjas with nothing but a flash of light had began to circulate.

The said man was none other than Minato Namikaze. Currently, he was inside a white room with eggshell colored curtains as they flapped in the wind. The sun seemed to radiate down towards the figures of two people, who were staring at each other. However, one was looking with a tinge of shock, and the other was having a facial expression of multiple emotions and thoughts. For, you see, what had started out as a normal conversation had turned into something else.

Something much worse for a certain Naruto Uzumaki.

The blond haired teen could only stare ahead, struggling to keep his emotions in check, as well not to show too much by just actions. Of course, the sudden question had hit him harder than a punch to the stomach by a certain pink haired kunoichi, and it left him there, gapping. There was not much he could do to answer the question back wittily enough.

The taller man stayed in that position, bringing his eyes into a somewhat harder gaze. It wasn't exactly threatening, but there was something else there; something like a trap that could spring if nudged in the wrong way. Time seemed to slow down for a few moments as Minato formed words that were barely audible to hear in the buzz that filled his ears. "-and he is coming in to talk to you as well. There is nothing much to worry about, as it is only going to be questions for now, but..."

Naruto looked up to see the man that he had always wanted to surpass give him a cold stare. "If it is something that threatens Konoha, I will stop you myself with everything I have." He let the gaze fall down a little bit, still keeping a wary eye on the teen. Naruto had to gulp a little bit. Those blue eyes seem to bore in far too much. "Of course, I do hope it doesn't turn out to go that way."

With that, the door opened and a certain white haired pervert clambered in. Or rather, a certain white haired man. Jiraiya had this younger look upon him, but now was not the time or the place to see the differences in the Ero-Sennin he knew, and the Jiraiya of 'now'. "So..." the Toad Sage began as he pulled up a wooden chair and plopped his body upon it. "It seems that that Uzumamein is awake, if that is truly his real name.

"Alright, Gaki. I'm not going to sugar coat this, or make this any plainer. You had blue eyes, and have them now, but they were red with slits only a while ago. Uchihas have red eyes, but they do not have slits going down the center, and the Yuuhi family has no blonds in their blood. Even if they did, no slits there, either. On top of it all, bloodlines tend to not leave the owners falling on the ground in pain with large amounts of chakra pulsing out of them." With a little hand movement, Jiraiya placed his fingers towards his chin, in a thinking position. "Now, you didn't really do anything bad, but I did realize that you made too many Kage Bunshins to have been possible without killing oneself from chakra exhaustion. And..."

With a little nod towards Mianto, the taller blond man took a deep breath. "I awoke after a few moments of rest, and when I was able to walk around, I went to visit you. I had heard that you were injured and unconscious, so I thought you might have been hurt with some sort of attack from the Iwa-nins. However, once I arrived there, Jiraiya-sensei and some nurses were already there, huddling around you with whispered voices."

Naruto didn't like how this conversation was going. He was still in his hospital bed, with the white covers going up towards his abdominal; wearing the average hospital clothing. An internal instinct of panic fell upon him as he subconsciously moved his arms around as if to show discomfort. An inner instinct told him to run.

The Namikaze continued on, moving his gaze from the eyes of the teenager towards the stomach. "Earlier, when the nurses here tried to heal you, they discovered a seal upon your stomach. At first, they thought it was a medical one, but when they realized no one had treated you yet, they brought in Jiraiya-sensei to look at it as I was incapacitated."

"That seal...was one of the most advanced and great works of the Art I have ever seen..." came a small mutter from the white haired man. "An _eight_ pronged seal. _Eight_. Only a genius in such things could make something like that, and from what I am aware of, only the Sandaime, Minato, and I could accomplish something like this. Even then, that would be pushing the limitations of our minds.

"Gaki, there are only a few and rare seals I have seen or heard about in my lifetime with those type of prongs. And like I said, I wasn't going to sugar coat this. An eight-pronged seal could mean many drastic things, but yours seemed to be on a weakened state. That, which I believe I know, is very bad..." The man paused, as if unwilling to go on. The air in the room seemed to be grave as the black eyed man made his gaze seem to pierce a point. "...Very bad for a _jinchuuriki_, such as yourself."

[x]

A jinchuuriki. The mere word was more known as a 'human sacrifice', a word coined by a group in Suna many years ago. It was possible that it had originated during the times of the Second Shinobi war, when Suna and another country was against Konoha; the White Fang against the horrors of many thing. Hanzo, a man who was a powerful person, indeed, was a key figure in that setting, many years ago. Yet, there were not supposed to have really existed.

Minato Namikaze didn't know what to say for sure. How his sensei had deducted that was beyond him for now. The seal was invisible for now, as the older man had stated that it only seemed to appear when Naruto was channeling Chakra throughout his body. Still, that word left for a chilling remark. Someone had sealed a _demon_ inside this child, an unhuman and supposedly impossible thing to do.

Naruto seemed to be in some state of shock and panic. He could tell that the figure of the teenager was ready to spring away and hide somewhere. Yet, the look on the blue eyed, blond haired person also showed that he was staying there for there was not much of a choice of where to go. Minato had already heard of this possible theory from Jiraiya two days ago. It seemed that the teen didn't know he has been dead to the world for almost a week. What his sensei had said was surprising, as well as a bit disturbing. After all, it was a _demon_ sealed within a _human_ being. Though this did not make the child a demon, it made one wonder why. In the older Shinobi Wars, jinchuuriki were rumored to have been 'created' as weapons to utterly **slaughter** their opponents. Not much else could be said about the subject as such 'human sacrifices' were rare and couldn't be proven.

Till apparently now.

"Listen, Naruto," began Minato, trying to calm the kid down. "You aren't hurting anyone right now, but we do wish to learn something of the truth. It seems you have been keeping many secrets, and during a war, it is a very dangerous thing. But-"

"I **hate** that word..." came a small mutter. The teen's blond hair covered his eyes, but his hands were clenched up in a tight fist. "'_Jinchuuriki'_, what a laugh. It's a word made from people who acted like Gods at one point in their lives... It's dirty! It has no respect for those who had to experience the hate and the lonliness!"

Minato saddened his eyes, as did his sensei. He could see how people could hate someone like that... The anger and hurt in those words seemed to have come from deep within the teen, and now they both knew they were toddling on a mental path filled with ragged edges. The blond man seemed to have a flashback for a few brief seconds over the apparent one-sided talk that his Team Seven had spied upon. _He can talk to his inner sealed prisoner... That was what we were hearing..._

Some silence hanged around, but it seemed that Naruto was slowly calming down. His fists were still clenched together, but the blues eyes were looking elsewhere. One could hear the ticking of a clock in the room, signaling that minutes were slowly slipping away. Fear could be seen etched in though those windows of a soul.

The adult man closed his eye. "You must really care for Konoha..." began Minato softly. He could tell that two sets of eyes were looking upon him with confusion. "To have come all the way here and even fight for this village's aid is a noble thing. I see nothing wrong with a shinobi fighting for this place's protection."

Opening his eyes, he could see Jiraiya's expression off the side of his eyes. Right in front of him, however, was a stunned child. Slowly, very slowly, a smile curved on his lips.

The tension that had filled the room dissipated.

[x]

"Minato. . !"

The dozing blond opened his eyes for a few moments before looking onwards to find the source of the voice. Up ahead of him was someone that he really didn't know all that well. It was not often that he dozed out in the open, letting his guard down in general, but after using the Hiraishin at a new and advanced level, his body still ached after the day's earlier training. He could manage to do that technique for about four times before knowing his chakra was going to give. A small part of him was thinking that perhaps the seal and the jutsu could be upped a bit to use less chakra...

"Oiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" the voice continued as the adult man nodded his head to show that he was listening. "The Hokage wants to see you about some 'Hiruishain no Jutsu', or something like that." The person's Jounin vest was probably back at the owner's home, abandoned along with perhaps some shuriken in a small pile. Kushina was never much of a neat or soft-spoken person.

"So...yeah. Go to him, or something. I'm outta here! Toddles!" With that, there was a puff of smoke as the red haired female disappeared. Minato yawned for a bit before standing up from the grass he was on. Currently, him and his team were resting after going over attack strategies and war scenarios. Naruto had even decided to help by doing his shadow clones, then transforming them into Iwa-nins before dispelling them all when the female was noticed in the area. Everyone had agreed that no one should know of the teenager's chakra capacities except for Team Seven, the Hokage, and Jiraiya. Naturally, the secret of Naruto was still hidden to only the two adults that knew from the beginning. Minato's sensei thought it wasn't for the best, yet, to tell the Sandaime that a child had a demon sealed within.

"Dang! I couldn't tell where the Kage Bunshins were," muttered Obito as he crawled out from his hiding spot. With a quick flick of his wrist, he threw his finger straight at Naruto, who was blinking back. "YOU! Just wait until I get my Sharingan!"

"Dobe, like that would really help," came a small mutter from Kakashi as he dispelled a genjutsu that made him look like a pile of leaves off to the side. Rin, the aspiring medical ninja, popped up from her place as well, standing between her two teammates.

It had already been a few weeks since the _truth_ was revealed, so the initial shock had already left Minato. "Alright everyone, Team Seven is dismissed for now. We can begin our practice later in the evening." Only two-three weeks ago, it would have been the following day. Alas, a war had started, and everyone was trying to get stronger to prevent more attacks such as last time. The Tsuchikage, leader of Iwa, was reported to have been training as well. It was not looking well, even though nothing else had happened. Konoha was claimed to be the strongest out of all the nations, but that didn't mean that they had the most massive numbers.

Minato smiled at everyone, before giving a hair rub on the already messy hair of Naruto. It was a simple, small suggestion that he did with the rest of his Team before whisking off with a simpler version of the Hiraishin.

[x]

Today, the sun was shining as Naruto took some turns here and there, going off towards a small apartment where the current Ero-Sennin claimed was the best for its price. Of course, it really was, but it also was located right next to the hot springs. Sometimes, he wanted to smack the perverted man on the head. For some reason, however, the older adult didn't seem to be as openly perverted as...well...before.

Shacking his head, he began to look up towards the clouds. Ever since getting out of the hospital, things have been rather awkward. If this was the past, he was pretty sure just his mere presence here would screw everything up. Hell, he probably screwed everything up already! Dismissing those thoughts, once again, the whiskered teen sighed a bit.

So far, the Kyuubi had been extraordinarily quiet since...then. A few, deep rumbles here and there was all that had come out. However, the feeling of upmost glee when he faced Jiraiya was also mixed with something else: a malicious glee that did not come from HIS mind. Speaking of Ero-Sennin, the white haired man had stopped by a couple times a week, making sure the seal was alright and whatnot.

_"I'm glad you're not a certain female teammate I once had..." came the grumble from the most perverted writer in the world. Or at least, his world. Or time. Or some other such nonsense._

_"Why's that?" he asked. Why wouldn't Jiraiya not want him to be like Tsunade - aside from some obvious reasons._

_"'Cause with your chakra reserves," he began as he gave a nod that signaled Naruto to put his shirt back on, "she would never stop punching me for peeking." When he heard the laughter coming out from the teenager, Ero-Sennin quickly scowled. "Oh, laugh now. But one day, you'll see!"_

_It only made Naruto laugh worse._

Nothing was planned for today, so now was perhaps a great time to work on his Rasengan... With that, he jumped off towards training field eleven. Since it was afternoon, perhaps no one was going to be there until dinner. If so, maybe he could train elsewhere.

[x]

_Dedicational things! Huzzah!_

_Well, first of all, this dedication is for all of you guys who read this! And support this! And make me one happy typist! -smiles- Muchas gracias! Of course, everyone who also gave reviews that said this was excellent were also very much so the LOVE. -hearts- I can't believe the amount of reviews, community, favs, and alerts I have! -bows graciously to you- -bows again- -repeats-_


	9. Chapter 9

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Slowly, yet surely, the sun was beginning to set as the world went back towards silence. In a far off section of Konoha there were many different people who were already getting ready to lay themselves into a bed in order to rest for the coming day. What could tomorrow bring? Would it bring new found hope? Horror? A raise in a job? More news in this new war? The only ones that could tell such answers were the ones who no longer exist in the world. After all, fortune-telling was a rare gift that was only rumored to exist. It was lumped with all other fantasy things that one would tell their children at night.

By the bridge off towards the east of the Village Hidden in the Leaves were the beginnings of the training fields. Many were scattered about the village, each one different that the next one in terms of terrain and difficulty to navigate, but each one had the same purpose: to train. Of course, with names such as 'Training Field Number 16' or other such connotations, it was only obvious as to see why. Naturally, there are training areas where more traffic would come by, and then there were those that had very little - if any - people waltzing in by accident.

Naruto Uzumaki wanted a training field that was far away from everyone in order to practice his moves. If he was going to go in a war, there must be something better he could do! There just had to be, especially after the last fight's _problems_! First thing was first; he had to work harder on his taijutsu. Yes, he could kick and punch; yes, he could dodge and maneuver rather well, but no, he was not perfect in that aspect. Physically, he was thinking that perhaps he was not built for loads of both physical power _and_ speed. He was going to have to choose one side or another to work on in the coming future. Maybe when he was about eighteen or so...

Shaking his head, he determinedly got back into training. That was one thing about him: he would train and train until he would have the technique or style right before crashing down in exhaustion. Of course, right after that, he would jump back up again and continue with more vigor than before. After a couple of minutes to wrap up his hand to hand combat, Naruto relaxed for a little while.

Staring at the scenery for a while, he brought himself back into his training schedule. This time, the teenager decided to change his practice from taijutsu to ninjutsu, the using of chakra through hand seals. With a quick symbolic movement of his fingers, he managed to create a shadow clone within fractions of a second. With that, he focused his mind to concentrate in a single spot and pumped chakra into it, allowing his clone to hold it in place...

"Rasengan!" he cried out as he slammed the swirling ball of chakra right into the tree, making it splinter apart into thousands of little pieces. Over and over again he did it, trying to figure out how many attempts he could run off that jutsu and still be able to fight using other methods. Night was already falling before he realized it, and he was drenched with sweat. With a little sigh, his blue eyes observed the area around him once again. "Whew, this seems like enough training for today," he muttered as the holes and destruction met his line of sight.

"I KNEW something was odd 'bout you! You know sensei's super special technique!" cried out a voice behind him.

With shock and adrenaline pumping through his veins, he turned around and kicked the source right in the face, only to see the form of a certain black haired ninja fly through the air and hit a tree. "Uh..." Naruto blinked, gulping a bit. _Oops_... he thought before widening his eyes in shock. He had just hit Obito. Good thing his taijutsu wasn't the best in the world.

Wait. Obito had seen him use the Rasengan...!

With a little grumble, the smaller child rubbed his belly before comically moaning and plopping back down towards the ground. After some few seconds, he managed to bring himself up towards a sitting position before glaring at the blond haired teenager. "Why the hell did you do something like that! Gesh, you made it seem as if I was going to attack you! That freakin' hurt!"

Raising his finger and pointing right at the orange goggled kid, Naruto rebutled back. How dare this guy say things like that! After being chased around by the Akatsuki most of his later years of his life, what **else** was he supposed to think! "YOU! I did it 'cause you snuck up on me, Pineapple!"

"Pineapple! You encompass that more than I do!"

After several minutes of back and forth bickering, they both eventually managed to calm down enough to begin a better conversation. Unfortunately for Naruto, this meant that a certain Uchiha was going back to the forethought that had been assumed since the start.

"I _knew_ you weren't normal! Sensei had just showed us that technique earlier, saying things like how it was something that he had created earlier with only HIS own sensei knowing it. But you know it, toooooooooo!" A teenager was now thinking if punching the kid on the head would make him shut up, but he also knew that it would be utterly pointless. What was it with him getting caught about stuff like this! Did he carry around some invisible sign available to be seen only to Fate - scratch that, he doesn't believe in Fate - Kami that read 'MAKE MY LIFE HELL'! "So, how do you know it? There has just got to be a reason why you look like Minato-sensei! And I came up with a theory that made Rin laugh, but I think it's the right one! It's the only one that would make sense!" With some excitement, he reached forewords and tugged by the lower end of Naruto's vest and made the teen kneel down and look straight at the black eyes. "You must be...sensei's younger brother!"

_Younger...__**brother**__...? _He blinked a few moments before chuckling. That chuckle grew into a small laughter, and before Obito could narrow his eyes in frustration, Naruto was rolling around on the ground, his pain from training all afternoon gone. "Younger brother! Oh, that's RICH! Ahahaha! Like I'm related to the Yondaime! Ahahahaha!"

"...Yon..._daime_? You mean 'sensei'," grumbled Obito.

Naruto just kept on laughing. And here he was thinking something horrible was revealed yet again!

Naturally, he was once again bested by a shadow in the background, except this was a certain white-haired man with a green jounin vest. With a little jump, said man was already gone, heading off towards the break in the trees, with remnants of laughter filling the air.

[x]

"He's already said that a few times the first time he saw me, right after he woke up from the hospital the first time around to be precise. It's nothing major to really think about," finished up Minato Namikaze as he took his sight away from a scroll filled with seals. Tonight was going along like any other form of night. Here he was, golden hair shadowing some parts of his face, as his back was slightly arched to see each seal with scrutiny. So far, his Hiraishin no Jutsu was going along rather well and perhaps in a few days it would become complete in his eyes. Or a few weeks, but the pressure of a war was making him move at an even faster pace.

His sensei, Jiraiya, was currently in his apartment, off towards the side, sitting down on a couch for a few moments, clutching a bottle of sake. It was nothing strong, but it was the average picture that the man seemed to have around himself. Of course, Jiraiya-sensei was not drinking it. It seemed he had it for the sole purpose of holding it in his hand. "Minato...yes, he maybe a Jin-"

"Naruto," cutted in the blond. "He stated that calling him by that word was an insult."

"Ah, well, Naruto then. Anyways, he may hold a demon within him, but there is more than that behind his eyes. I believe he might be hiding something bigger and something more important." Minato was listening, but also holding his special kunai in his hands, delicately writing a new seal on it. "He also knows a certain...jutsu." That last sentence came out hesitantly, as if he didn't really want to say it. Some silence came by a bit as Minato was still looking at his kunai. Yes, he knew that his sensei's words were important, but this sealing took a lot of concentration...

"He knows your Rasengan."

The sound of metal hitting the ground rang throughout the building. It did such a thing twice before the noise stopped. The Namikaze turned his head and saw his sensei straight in the eyes, with his own blue ones widening up. "He...knows my technique? How is that possible? I've only shown it to you, and it takes a lot of steps to complete that..."

Jiraiya-sensei's hair moved slightly as the man stood up from the couch and placed the sake bottle down upon the table. "I don't know how he did it. I've never shown anyone that technique outside of battle, and this Uzumamein was running them by with at least ten of them a minute or so. With the exception that he needed a clone to hold it in place, each one was a perfect stage three Rasengan."

To say Minato was in shock was an understatement. It was one of his prized techniques for a reason. A lot of hard work and calculations went into that. Of course, it was not yet one-hundred percent complete as he wanted to tie in his wind manipulation, but still! This was stunning news.

"Obito caught him while he was training, and also brought that same topic, as well as an..._intriguing_ concept that I know isn't the truth, but interesting nevertheless," the man continued with hushed tones. "Your student had stated something about how the two of you look too oddly alike, and quite frankly, I have to agree. When I first laid my eyes upon Naruto, I almost called him by your name until I realized that he was a bit shorter and had a slightly different hairstyle. Yet, in all aspects, he pretty much is a 'clone' of you, if I could say something that far. There is a similarity within the two of you."

For this, Minato had to think. It was true; they did look amazingly alike, as well as more or less the same skin color. A major exception was the lack of whisker marks on the adults face. Still, the Namikaze knew he had no family or distant relatives alive. He did not come from a major clan that had possible hundreds of fellow clansmen. No, he was picked up from the streets after his parents died, and he was sure that the rest of his distant family was gone as well. When he was younger, he thought maybe he had come from Iwa itself for the fact that there were a decent amount of blonds there, but decided it wasn't worth the effort thinking of that. Konoha was his home.

Being brought back into the present after the quick sidetracking thoughts, the white haired person only shook his head. "I don't know what is really going on with that boy, but I do know it is something that requires even more looking into. As you had stated earlier, he has done nothing wrong so far, but there is only so far I am able to trust a stranger like that. We may be able to hide the fact of his certain condition from Sarutobi, but it would be unwise to say nothing about the whole Rasengan thing. For all we know, he could have the Hiraishin no Jutsu lodged somewhere in his brains!" Jiraiya finished while looking right at his student.

Minato took a deep, collective breath. Rubbing his hand through his hair, he could think about how much more difficult and odd his life was once that teenager had stepped magically into it. They were going to have to tell the Hokage _something_ after all, though, but perhaps not just yet. They could only keep something like this secret for so long, of course, but now was not a good time.

"I still don't think we should tell him," Minato concluded. "He is very busy, and I am sure the both of us could handle it. Even though I know it would be for the better to have the Hokage in on this, the war with Iwa is having too many complications. I'm sure he is trying to secure funds right now for the war from the Lord." With a small sigh, he turned his face to look out towards the scenery of Konoha. Night was already there, with no clouds to hide the supreme view of the amazing stars.

He heard his sensei do something like a scowl in the background, but Jiraiya said nothing for a while. "Well, if this is what you think, then alright. But I am still going to keep an eye on him. Eventually, I will find this out. But if he does one more thing suspicious, then we will have to talk to Sarutobi."

Minato nodded in agreement.

[x]

Silent, he was cursing. It seemed that his prized student wasn't realizing that he was growing a soft spot for the newcomer. Certainly, for even the white haired man had found a spot in his brain for the kid, too. He seemed so much like a hyper, younger version of Minato that it made feel almost like a...well, a _grandfather_. Almost. Still, the news was something important.

On top of that, his mind kept going back to recall the eight-pronged seal that resided on the stomach of the boy. Yes, it was a genius work of Art - something he was unsure **he** could pull off - but it also seemed more than just a simple sealing. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to accurately look and study the seal, and he was certain he couldn't walk up towards the child as simply ask for something like that. Oh, sure, he examined it every once in a while with the blonds' permission , but the examination the man was thinking of was something on a more deeper level.

Yes, this Naruto Uzumamein needed to...

_Uzumamein..._ mused Jiraiya as he walked steadily towards his apartment. That was certainly a weird name. It could be a mixture of three different 'words'. 'Uzu' (渦) for 'swirl', 'mame' (豆) could be either a 'child', something 'small', or if one was daring enough, some sort of food. Finally, trailing at the very end was 'mein' (印), which was a crude form of a 'seal', 'symbol', or a 'mark'. So, the last name made...almost no logical sense. Well, the last two parts did as it could be taken as 'sealed as a child' in retrospect, but where did the 'swirl' fit in? _Hm...it could be for the fact that the seal is a swirl figure. _With little effort, the Toad Sage turned the knob and entered his home as the child's last name thoughts slowly faded away.

A book he was currently working on was lying around, the sheets written with very unique kanji. Most of it was already complete, and all it really needed now was to be sent off to the Konohaian publishers. It was a start of what should be a new series that he had hoped would become a bestseller. He had written it based on his adventures and general life through the alias of a character called 'Naruto'.

Whoah. Talk about déjà vu.

Today was certainly a day for musing. This was the first time in a while that he decided to visit Konoha, but old memories of his travels were hanging in his head. One thing oddly strung a chord louder than any others. It was the prophecy he heard of, the one that dealt with finding a child that could save or destroy the world while writing a book. The destroying aspect sent a shiver up his back, but he had already found the child: a certain one called Nagato and his friends. Thus, the man went to sleep with a mix of complicated thoughts.

[x]

"Well, that's what _**I**_ think," mumbled Obito once more as the angsting/stotic/etc. Kakashi looked away with annoyance, and his secret crush went ahead and fell to the ground laughing. He had just exclaimed HIS new personal views on a person now aptly named 'Sensei's Clone', and they both weren't exactly taking it very well.

It was a new day, and Minato-sensei was already off to get a personal mission. The black haired Uchiha had no clue what it was to be about, but he did know that their teacher had instructed them to train while he was gone. (Sensei had also left a note stating that some jounin was going to help them practice.) Of course, this meant about two to three days in shinobi speech, so here he was, talking to his teammates. Or rather teammate and a walking rulebook.

"Sure, I _totally_ believe you Obito!" cried out Rin as she laughed again. Her brown hair moved to and fro as she held her hand to her chin, continuing to chuckle after propping herself up again. "Naruto is _totally_ from the future. AND sensei's son as well. I am SO positive of that! Ahahahahaha!"

"Dobe," was the only thing Kakashi mentioned, but Obito could swear that his rival was smirking underneath the blue mask of his.

Rin had managed to calm down back towards her normal personality in the end, nodding her head as she mentioned everyone to get ready and start training. They all knew that Konoha wouldn't stay peaceful like this for long, showing almost no signs of the war. It would only be a matter of time before bigger casualties were to befall them, no matter how much they hoped it was not so.

A voice came from the background, making them both look over and notice this average-tall person with flaming red hair. Her blue eyes gazed down at the both as her hands pointed to the three of them. "I got a note from Minato that said something like he needed a replacement for a few days. Name's Kushina, Kushina Uzumaki! And I'm here to make sure you guys are ready to train! So, let's get started!"

[x]

_The 'Uzumemein' meaning was all...by mistake. Initially, it was to have no meaning as it was just an altered wording of 'Uzumaki'. Or altered for Naruto. No previous thoughts went into it. Of course, being the person I am, I wondered what Uzumamein would stand for... And it was just by random ODD - and freaky - luck that ?stands for something like what Jiraiya noted earlier. Oh, the wierdness._


	10. Chapter 10

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Little steps could be heard. At least, one thought they were little until the large figure of someone raced by. This certain person's hair was whipping in the wind, carrying about a scared and apprehensive look on this woman's face. Her cherry blossom pink hair was only up towards he shoulders, but her face was that of someone who was now getting to be know in the Konoha hospital. However, now was not the time to talk about this female figure's accomplishments as this person seemed to have something much bigger on her mind. She was even using the driving force of people and nature by shoving it into her shoes in order to race off towards the large, red building that loomed in front of her.

It was getting to be early evening outside, and normally she would be eating something from her home or from a local restaurant. Today, though, no such thing was going to happen. Her feet pounded the pavement one after the other, making her seem like a black blur racing through the streets. It wasn't until she almost crashed into a vendor selling his wares did she jumped high into the sky to land on a roof. Each step made her closer and closer to where the leader of this village was. Each step getting closer and closer to a time when she had to say something she did not want to be said. Yet, this was of upmost importance. Two things were driving her, making her go faster than she normally went. One of them was the fear of losing someone once again, and the other was the spotting of something she never wanted to see ever again.

"TSUNADE-SHISHOU!" she cried out as she banged open the doors. The speed and the strength of that action was enough to cause certain reactions from the Hokage, but immediately the blonde haired woman calmed down after seeing her student. That is, until the woman saw the facial expression.

"What is it?" wondered Tsunade, the well known and revered medical ninja. Rumor had claimed that she could find the antidote over every poison and thwart people from death. Only, she never claimed she could thwart death. It was just a rumor that was sprung up by people who saw her heal what they thought was the impossible. Yes, she was an excellent healer, but even she knew she had limits. Placing her hands on her hips, allowing the green sleeves to fall for a moment as she stood up, she brought her face into an irritated scowl. She was going over some important things to deal with Konoha's future, such as the sheet that had just come in, stating that it was time to get a new mission for Team...

The pink haired girl's eyes bored into the Sannin's sand-brown one, mouthing words that the leader of the village never wanted to hear in her life. "Naruto is missing!" cried out Saukra. Normally, when blond teenager was claimed 'missing', he was actually in a different area than usual. However, the tone of worry in that young girl's voice was saying something else. "And two members of the Akatsuki were hanging around the entrance of the village until they left only moments ago! Shishou! I think Naruto was taken by them!"

It felt like her heart had plummeted towards the ground. The blonde Hokage felt a sense of doom as those words entered her brain. It was true that her surrogate grandchild had been outside the village, but he was JUST by the doors to take a _walk_! To have him missing with the members of the Akatsuki there was no coincidence to her. That would only mean that...

"YAMATO!" she cried out in her authorities' voice, pushing aside the part of her that was getting to be so worried that all she wanted to do was stand and stay in shock. It only took a mere moment for the brown haired man with the fake name 'Yamato' to arrive, but it was far too long in her eyes. With a quick salute, the man took a look at the woman in front of him. Confusion was clearly etched upon his face. Before he could ask what the problem was or what was needed from him, Tsunade slammed her hand on her desk angrily. "Naruto is missing, and there were two Akatsuki members outside this village only prior before his absence! FIND HIM!" Her instincts were telling her to go along and travel with this man to find that golden haired teen, but if something were to happen inside Konoha while she was out...

"Take a team with you of anyone who can help! I don't care if you have to drag some of them away from their homes in ropes, just GET THEM and FIND HIM! Make Kakashi, Neji, and Sakura on this team for sure!" With that, she screamed out another voice, calling for the Toad Hermit. _Please let him hear me call for him, just this once! Oh, Naruto! Please, oh please, be alright!_

[x]

While the disturbance was going on in the Hokage Tower, a certain silver haired man was walking through the streets of Konoha, reading his most treasured book in the diming light. However, he stopped once something tugged at the back of his brain. Something _different_ and off. Taking a glance up, his experienced skills at being a shinobi made him scan the area around him, taking note of every little detail that his eye could tell. After years of seeing through only one eye, his depth perspective was better than that of someone who could normally see through two eyes.

Something seemed off with everything. For some reason, everything seemed...odd. His physical body seemed alright, yet sluggish at the same time. The buildings around appeared to be strong, but the objects inside were different. Or rather, they seemed faded, almost like they were sun-bleached. Alarmed, he placed his book away, noting that now that feeling of that _something_ was spreading around him like wildfire.

Racing forwards, he came towards an area where little children were playing. It was closest towards a clearing so he could check the surrounding area and make sure there wasn't something like another invasion happening. As soon as he got there, he got to examine each and every item in his general view, but nothing seemed wrong with them. The small cries of children who were still playing could be heard in the distance, and everything was normal. Yet, Kakashi Hatake could not shake away this feeling that...

An object off towards the distance caught his eyesight. It was a piece of gold that should have not have been there. Turning his head, the man's physical form turned into that of shock. For what he was seeing could not have been seen, and should have never been seen. It was just impossible!

In front of him was a small child with whisker marks that could just be distinguished slightly. Yet, this small, little kid was **very** transparent and hazy, but also seemed to be the source of all the thoughts the adult man was feeling only moments before. He was silently and softly crying, rubbing his cheeks for it seemed to be that the golden haired kid had fallen off the swing sets. _What is going on! Some sort of genjutsu? If so, HOW!_

The small kid seemed to fade completely away for a fraction of a moment before returning with the same opacity as perhaps a sheet of water. One could barely tell that he was still there. The cries couldn't be heard, but the slight pain on his face could. Then...another figure showed up, knocking away whatever stability the silver haired man had to stand. In a sense of shock and a clash of memories from his past, he saw the figure of a tall, grown man in his twenties or so kneel down next to the crying child. He was just as hazy, seemingly like some sort of an apparition. Kakashi could only watch with widening eyes as the man said something inaudible to the child. With that, the blue eyed male picked up the child, rubbed the cheeks himself, kissed said child on the forehead before leaving down the path away from the park before fading away into the air. That was when the world seemed to run back to normal once again, leaving that sense of _something_ far away.

That man... It was the Fourth: his teacher, his sensei, his instructor; a dead man. Yet, how? The man was _**dead**_! And the child...! There was only one person who had the whiskers upon his face, but Naruto came into existence the day his Sensei died! There was no way that this could happen! Naruto wasn't a ghost or anything of that sort, but the how? HOW!

His thoughts were interrupted as the figure of the ANBU, best known towards the younger generation as 'Yamato' ran into the scene with his brown hair flapping in the wind. "Kakashi! Naruto might have been kidnapped by the Akatsuki!" Silence. "Kakashi?"

"Impossible..." was all the genius muttered.

[x]

Rin's brown hair gently moved to and fro as she edged her way closer towards her secret crush. She wasn't exactly open about her thoughts over Kakashi, but she wasn't exactly conservative either. She wanted to get to know him better and possibly start something like a friendship that would eventually turn out to be something more when she got old enough. However, she sighed a bit as she noticed her hair was in a horrible shape, and that her teammate was looking elsewhere.

The practice session with Kushina Uzumaki had gone as she thought it would have. The first thing she did was try to see if what level they were at, and then help them train. At first glance, their temporary instructor was insanely pretty. Long red hair that reached below her hips, and one little part held back by a yellow barrette to prevent it from going into her eyes. She also had a...well...a certain figure that a brown haired girl wouldn't have minded when SHE got as old as Miss Uzumaki. Her personality, though, was almost the same as the teenager, Naruto. Talk about weird.

With a sigh, she turned over to face her friend, Obito. Though she did like/love Kakashi, he wasn't really nice towards the black haired Uchiha. She acted as a buffer between them both, but since she didn't have her sensei's help, the two of them were at each other's throats again. Trying to bring in a conversation that both could talk about without insulting each other was probably the best way to get them out of this. "So...what do you guys think of Uzumaki?"

"HEY!" cried out Obito as he raised his chopstick in the air. They were currently eating at Ichiraku's, much to Rin's amusement. It seemed that whenever she was with Minato-sensei and her team, she would complain about eating too much Ramen. Now that she was here with her team, but no teacher, she had wanted to eat here. "Uzumaki is REALLLLLY close to Uzumamein!"

Rin felt her eyes deadpan to the ground for a bit before sighing. There went Obito again, like earlier this morning. He was dead-set that Naruto was the 'guy from the future, and son of Minato-sensei'! Apparently it seemed like Kakashi no longer really thought it was as funny as earlier for all he seemed to do was scowl. Or at least that was what Rin picked up due to her lack of being able to see through the mask cloth. (It was times like this she wished she was a Hyuuga.)

Like magic, the blond teen appeared out of nowhere. In this sense, she could see how Naruto and Minato were similar, but she wouldn't go out and say related. "Hey Rin, Kakashi, and Obito!" he cried out happily as he ordered a couple of bowls of miso ramen from the stand owner. "How's it been going, and where is Minato-san?" It confused her the way he sometimes said her sensei's name with a title one day, and without one another. _Oh well._

Obito piped up, giving the teenager a certain observation look while slurping down his own 'nutritious' food. "He's not here right now as he went on some sort of mission." Rin noticed that Naruto was starting to chomp down upon the food, eating it all for what it was worth. Said blond was already on bowl number three and a half when the Uchiha had mentioned that they were all assigned a 'sub'-sensei until Minato returned called Kushina Uzumaki.

Naruto was holding onto a ramen bowl in his hands, just having emptied it a few moments earlier. She noticed that his blue eyes widened in what seemed to be shock as the bowl slipped from his fingers and crashed upon the wooden counter, shattering into thousands of small, little china pieces. The wooden chopsticks thudded softly as well before rolling off the counter. The teen's hands were still in the air, as if trying to clutch onto a ramen bowl made of glass, but the eyes on the boy were opened and stunned.

"U...Uzu...maki?" he whispered before turning his head to face Obito. With sudden agility, Rin was stunned as he picked up the black haired boy and shook him for all he was worth. "WHERE IS SHE! WHERE DID SHE GO!" he cried out. "WHO IS SHE! WHAT DOES SHE LOOK LIKE? WHERE CAN I FIND HER? DOES SHE HAVE A CLAN! DOES SHE HAVE BLONDE HAIR? DOES SHE HAVE A RELATIVE WITH BLOND HAIR?"

"I think your hurting Obito!" cried our Rin as she raced to stop the teenager. It seemed he wasn't going to stop anytime soon, so she had to step in. Already some of the passing villagers and the owners of the store were looking at him as if he lost his sanity a few seconds ago.

Obito himself seemed stunned before muttering out that he didn't know where she was. As if disappointed or upset over the lack of information, Naruto made a single ram seal after letting go of the child. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried out as about twenty Naruto's filled the area. "Find her!" he cried out as he ran off, leaving a trio of stupefied children behind him.

He had even forgotten to pay for lunch.

[x]

**Mortal, you are getting on my nerves. I don't know who your parents are, and frankly, I don't care.**

Naruto shoved that thought out of his head as her hurried trough the allies, giving his own search as well. Kushina Uzumaki... Well, as one carries their father's last name, it not as if he was related to her, but if she happened to have a blond haired brother or some blond relative that was a male...! His blue eyes became determined as he raced forwards towards the Hokage area. Maybe the Old Man knew this Kushina!

With a quick and agile jump, he reached the roof, scared a couple of guards, raced past the secretary, and landed right in front of a large desk with the Sandaime Hokage looking onwards with alertness before it faded away into somewhat slight annoyance.

"Hey, hey! Sorry for bursting in like this, but I have to know something! Where can I find this Kushina Uzumaki person! PLEASE, Hokage!" Since the Old Man didn't really know Naruto all that well in this...wherever he was, it wasn't he could run ahead and say 'Jiji'. "I have to know something about her! Where is she!"

Lucky for him, he got an answer. With that, he raced off towards the eastern side of Konoha, dispelling his clones on the way over there. To his amazement that he saw a small apartment complex show up. Now, he wasn't exactly expecting a grandiose clan complex of any sort, but an apartment? Did that mean that this woman left her family? Why would she do that?

With quick and sudden knocks, he tried to calm himself down. The teenager knew that this place and this time(?) was different, but so far some of the facts were staying true to themselves. Maybe, just maybe, he could find out who his parents were.

The door opened...and out came a woman with annoyance on her face. Her long hair fell towards the back, but it seemed as if she just came out of a nap or something as it was a bit messy here and there. "Namikaze..." she muttered, confusing the blond for a moment. "You were SUPPOSED to be on a mission, from what your team said. If that was just an excuse to-" The woman then took a note of the facial features of the teen before blushing out of embarrassment. "Ah, sorry. I thought you were someone else. May I help you?"

Red. She had red hair. Not blond. That was one strike, but the last name still held promise. "Please, mam! I know this is going to sound weird, but do you have any male relatives with blond hair? Or male relatives in general? Please answer!"

"I'm sorry, little kid, but you are creeping me out a bit. But, no, I don't have any relatives..." she began, trailing off before looking back at Naruto. _No...relatives? Ah..._ "-and the only blond haired men I have seen in my life is someone from the Yama-something clan and Minato Namikaze…and now you." The blond haired teen lowered his head for a moment, muttering a small 'ah'. Maybe he was holding too much hope up here. It could have been such a weird series of events in his life...

"Hey, kid. You seem upset or something. You alright?"

Nodding a bit, Naruto then said thanks and left before heading towards the hotel room he was living in for the moment. With a small sigh, he plopped his head on the bed and looked up towards the ceiling. There he stayed, getting those thoughts out of him so that he could feel better later. Yet, why was he feeling so disappointed?

[x]

_Don't forget to send in those wonderful reviews!_


	11. Chapter 11

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Outside, there was nothing but shadows as the wind held the locks of a certain golden blond hair. The figure of this person was that of someone who was deep in thought, almost as if he was pondering over life mysteries. There were trees with their chocolate brown leaves drooping over the field below him; the leaves falling gently down like soft rain in the middle of summer. This man wore a dark green vest that signified this man status from his hometown. Or perhaps one could call it a home village? Whatever the case, this man stood there alone, allowing the wind to caress face.

The mission given by his village leader, the Hokage, was one filled with danger and the slight promise of becoming gravely injured. It was an S Class mission, and the mission was to infiltrate the enemy lines to see what they were planning. Normally, within times of two nations living in coexistence, this would be considered an act of war. However, the war between two countries had already begun. This golden hair man was trying to prevent any innocent deaths like what had happened only weeks ago. His thinking of doing this difficult mission suddenly became something he just _had _to do after thinking of the possible death toll that could happen that didn't even deserve it. He did not want this happening to his precious people or the land he grew up in.

The man's name was Minato Namikaze, an aspiring ninja whose reputation was beginning to get spread throughout the land very slowly. This mission was to test not only his abilities, but to check the stability of the enemy land. Was Iwa structurally sound? What was the real reason for starting this war that was certain to bring nothing but pain and misery? Was it really over nothing but something as pathetic as land? Whatever the answers to these questions, he knew that this war would last longer than what he wanted. No. He never wanted this war.

Large mushrooms, larger than him, tower over the rocks, leaving their shadows on the ground below. Being near mid-afternoon in the middle of a forest left for the curtain of green and grey to cover everything. Even his normally sun-kissed hair had a tone of darkness on it. The man's body slowly crept closer towards the area in front of him, as there were noises there that animals could never make straight ahead. It could only mean one thing.

To his view of sight, right in front of him, there resided the forms of four other people. Each one was huddling around a fire, so small that it wasn't until someone stumbled upon it that they could see it. Of course, being so close to these people would only guarantee the viewer's death. It was only because he was a trained ninja, a shinobi, the prevented him from being spotted and then hunted. With no more sounds, he edged closer and closer, wanting to get to know who else was there as well as the odds against him. The leader of the village had stated to get as much information as he possibly could before removing the enemies from existence. It was a harsh role to play, but it was something he had to get done. If he did not dispose of them, they may come back and attack his home.

There were only four of them, but each one seemed like they have done nothing but training of their lives. Sharp knives, no, sharp katanas, were strapped on the backs of the men. Each person had a ferocious look on their faces, but none of them knew that Konoha's Yellow Flash was creeping upon them. In the blue eyed man's hand was the three-pronged kunai. He had no intention of using his weapon, and what it stood for, against these men that _current_ moment, but if forced, he would kill them faster than they could blink.

The best way to get information, for now, was to eavesdrop until he was certain that he could not get anymore information that way before attacking. It was a sick and immoral act to do, but like he thought earlier, it was something he simply _had_ to do.

"I can't believe that this area was such a piece of cake to get into without being seen," began one of them, bragging as if the other four did not do the same thing he did. "Kuso is a land that we could easily take over and use as a base of operations to defeat Konoha before they notice anything 'wrong'."

One of the men shook his head, and slowly sighed a bit before mentioning the trees around them."This land is currently too close to Konoha, yet too far away from Iwa to be a base of operations for now. Perhaps, if we were ever to take control of land just south of our great nation..." The talk continued, going on about things that no longer had any relevance towards the Iwa-Konoha war.

It was at this moment that Minato realized that only those two of them were talking as the other two were merely sleeping with their eyes open to make it appear as if four were on guard. With a quick flick of his wrist, he buried two sharp metal objects into the hearts of the ones speaking, turning away before he saw them bleed to death. The figures of the sleeping ones were people that would give more information because they would be caught off guard. The bodies of their comrades with shock on their faces were to show that they couldn't run away. Often, being a shinobi made it seem like it tapped away his innocence a little at a time. Within a fraction of a mental second, he shoved that thought away.

To awaken the other men, he poked them softly with his kunai after paralyzing them with a small lightning jutsu before flinging a shuriken to wrap them around with strong wire. Both of them awoke with surprise etched upon their faces, as well as a little bit of pain. How could they have been captured so easily, and their teammates killed without as much as a scream? The man in front of them only held his weapon to their necks before narrowing his eyes into a cold demeanor.

"Who the hell are you?" screamed out one of them. Minato only continued to stare at them with the same look as only seconds before."How in the world did you do this!"

The other man tried to struggle against the wire, but it only resulted into cutting deep into his skin, breaking through the fabric. Grunting in pain, the man gave his own glare back, but for some reason the golden hair man's gaze dug deep into his prisoner's soul. "What are you going to do to us?" he cried out, still trying to attempt to escape. Minato was aware that the blood of this man was already seeping into the clothing, making it seem like as if he accidentally cut a vein.

Digging his weapon slightly deeper into their necks, he managed to get them to explain what they were doing there. In spite looking large and powerful, it ended up that these men were the scouts of Iwa. They were strong, but most of their training relied only on speed, making for brute strength something that they needed help on. Yet, these men were not going to have a chance to practice for once this man got the stuff he needed, he allowed them to die in the most painless and beautiful way yet imagined.

In the far distance, there was one more person of the group who was not by the fire. He saw the golden haired man leave, heading up with a different section of the forest before heading down to see he last of his comrades. The sole survivor had seen nothing of how the man had killed his friends other than a flash gold. And…it had frightened him.

It would take two weeks, but the dangers of the human being that known as Konoha's Yellow Flash began to creep its way into the voices and minds of people outside the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

[x]

Naruto stared right at the ceiling, seemingly looking at nothing but the wooden boards that crisscrossed to protect the person inside from rain, wind, and snow. After what had happened only five days ago, a part of him still has the small sliver of hope that the possibility of parents existed within reach. Maybe his parents did not know each other? There could be the possibility that his parents did not come into Konoha until later. Or perhaps the redhead woman that he had met with for only a few seconds did not realize that another relative was out there?

Getting himself slowly up from the bed, he allowed his body to stretch for a few moments before turning around to look at what he was going to do today. Should he run around and try to practice his Rasengan? The last time he tried to do that resulted in Obito finding him. He definitely did not want to get spotted by anyone else, like someone as smart as Kakashi, Old Man, or Jiraiya. Thank goodness to the fact that Minato was not currently there. He can at least practice his special technique without the creator stumbling in without prior notice. The blond teenager knew that nothing more could spell disaster then that scenario that just went by his mind.

A knocking by his door made him realize that he was still dressed in his pajamas. Crashing over some wooden tables that held an iron teapot, he managed to aim his head towards the door before screaming out, "I'll be right there!" Quickly, he raced towards the closet, throwing on every article of clothing that he normally wore. His sea green crystal necklace won via a bet hung over his jacket before he tucked it in. At least he did not need to comb his hair for no matter what he did it would always stay in the same position, 24/7.

Finally reaching the door, he threw it open by sliding it a couple of feet. There, right in front of him, was the same redhead woman from earlier with Team Seven right in tow! "Hey, Naruto!" exclaimed the black and brown haired ones. The silver headed child only stared ahead and gave a slight nod, looking around the general area. The child's eyes went up wide at the sight of the tea cups scattered upon the grounds. The blond haired teenager grabbed his hand and scratched the back of his head before doing a nervous chuckle.

"Ahh...What is everyone doing here at my hotel room?" questioned Naruto. This was certainly not your average way to begin the morning. One of the children even had a smile propped against his cheeks. It was none other than the black haired Uchiha.

The female adult raised her hand and pointed straight at the kinda-stunned Naruto. "Obito here managed mention that you are a ninja that has no team, but _also_ mentioned that you hanged around Team Seven often enough to be considered an extra 'member'! Since today is a day where I have to work on the team's...well...teamwork, Obito wisely mentioned that you could stand here and help us out. Since you don't seem to be doing anything today, what better way to spend your time then by hanging out with us?"

Naruto blinked a couple of times, trying to contemplate that he was to do. Yes, he was thinking of training, and what better way to get to know this female's background family then by being nearby? Still, it was kind of surprising when the four of them appeared right in front of his door... Speaking of that, how did they find him here? It wasn't as if he's showed them where he was staying. However, before he could think of further of such thoughts, the black haired child grabbed onto that teenagers arm and began to tug, screaming out that it was best to train with Naruto.

[x]

The day's projection into working on the method of teamwork didn't exactly go to plan.

It seemed that the two small, male children could merely do nothing but argue and bicker. One had to do something; one had to do something else. It was almost as bad as his own team, for crying out loud! Giving credit where credit was a due, he had to admit that Rin was a great person to settle both of them down.

Placing his hand to his chin, Naruto began to think a little bit harder. Out of everyone that he has met so far, here in this land of _somewhere_, the only ones that he knew are still alive are his teachers. Now that he mentions that thought, Kakashi had never mentioned his old team, teammates, or all the time he spent with them. It was as almost as if every single one of them had vanished off the face of the earth...

Wait a minute. Minato died by sealing in the nine-tailed fox demon into his belly. What if everyone else had died because of the Kyuubi? The stupid monster wasn't exactly giving him any information. In fact, it was oddly silent, even though that it could now communicate to the blond teenager's head without prior notice. It must be planning something or it would have spoken up earlier these past five days, with its voice rooted in malice. Why did his life have to be so confusing **now**, out of all times? _Gah! I'm thinking too many questions again. Yet, the Kyuubi must be thinking of some plan for it to shut up this long. Maybe I should ask Jiraiya what he thought of the seal. After all, he is really good at that stuff. Or I guess I could get Minato to do it...but I don't think that would be such a good idea for now for either of them. Stupid war. _Sighing mentally, it took a second for him to realize that everyone else was looking at him weirdly. "Ehehe... Sorry, I was deep in thought!"

In the background, Obito snorted. "That's gotta be some mighty deep thinking," he muttered before giving off a smile. The attitude about the black haired Uchiha was one that Naruto could get used to, but also get rather annoyed at. Of course, the same thing could be applied towards the Kakashi of this current...er..time.

"Now, now Obito; Naruto! I understand that today was not exactly a great one, but at least we all tried to get along," began the brown headed Rin once more. Turning around to face the redhead woman, who was standing behind them with a bored and tired look on her face, Rin nodded a little bit. "Besides, I've heard that our sensei was going to come back tomorrow."

"Thank Kami…" came a small mumble from Kushina.

Ignoring the woman, the information seemed to strike the interest of the rest of the members, as well as the blond teenager. _I wonder what type of mission Minato was assigned to…_ Of course, it probably delt, and that was not something that Naruto wanted to think about right now. Well, he did, but he was uncertain of what his actions to do next in this war. The last thing he wanted was to have the Kyuubi to have influence over him in the middle of a fight. Darn it, he should have paid attention more to Iruka during History!

[x]

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead again with his large hands, trying to relieve the stress that was growing in his mind. It was late in the evening, and his prized student - who he thought was his son - was back with unsettling news. It seemed that the scouts of Iwa were trying to find weakness in the land surrounding Konoha to advance the 'front line'. Of course, there was no front line of fighting yet, but the failed diplomatic relationships of yesterday between the two Kages were certain to make one then the next few days. To civilians who lived with shinobi all around them, they knew that one powerful shinobi could waltz from Iwagakure towards Konohagakure in such a short period of time.

Because of this, he decided to stay put in his hometown for just a little longer. Normally he would go around collecting information from his spy network, but he knew that the first couple of onslaughts against Konoha's shinobi were to be destructive and chaotic. It was best the first fights were in lands that no one occupied with him to help back the army up.

Then there were the troubles with Naruto. Even though he was assured by his student that the teenager meant no harm and was not a spy, he could still not shake the feeling that the child needed constant watch. The blue, spiraling chakra of the jutsu, Rasengan, was still freshly imprinted in his mind.

Right about that very same moment, the blonde haired adult entered his apartment. Jiraiya had mentioned ahead in advance that he was going to wait for Minato here once the man had talked to Sarutobi. Tonight, he was going to try to persuade his student to look at the seal upon the teenager stomach. Minato was a genius in basically everything, including the Art of sealing. As the white-haired man had no clue how to do an eight pronged seal, he was unable to tell whether it was stable or deteriorating or what type of demon the child hosted inside. Certainly the blonde adult could tell, and with the knowledge of the condition of that seal, the Sannin will be able to place one thought out of his head.

[x]

Sakura didn't want to enter inside the Hogake room with the mission report that she had in her hands. The black clothed fingers were slightly shaking in the sadness and fear that seemed to loop in her every vein. The mission to search out for Naruto had ended in a complete failure. Kiba and Neji could follow the trace of the number one most hyperactive ninja until just after passing the large yellow walls that surrounded the village. From there on out, it was as if Naruto was simply whisked away.

"We have to tell her," began the black haired Neji as he looked at Sakura's blue-green eyes. Everyone else that was on the search team was right behind her, including Kakashi, but it was voted that maybe the female should tell the news. Even the silver haired jounin wasn't standing up towards the idea of facing what could either be an angry Tsunade, or a depressed one. The search had even included Kiba's sister, Hana, and Jiraiya, but to no avail. The said Toad Sage was currently off someplace else, claiming that he was going to continue to look for any signs while they would tell the news.

There was too much seriousness in that voice of the older man.

Slowly, she went forward. For some reason, it seemed that even _Sai_ had his face in slight worry. It seemed that the disappearance of the blue-eyed ninja was taking its toll on everyone. With her foot coming in closer, she noticed that the Godaime was looking at her with those intense, tan eyes.

"Well? Did you find him!" she asked with concern and worry in those tones that Sakura was certain the woman was trying to hide to maintain the image of a strong leader. Oh, Tsunade was strong, but she also had a heart for the one who was lost...

"No..." mumbled the teenager named after the cherry blossom. "We...lost his trail after hitting nearby the forest that outlined the village."

And with that, the ruler of Konoha began to silently cry, placing her head into the eyes. Kakashi and Hana began to take everyone away from the room into the hallway. They knew that Tsunade wanted to talk to them after she took care of this grief that had stricken her right now. Sakura could only look down towards the floor.

[x]


	12. Chapter 12

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Nothing.

For a man who lost nearly everything as a child, the pain of losing a teammate - no, rather a precious person: a comrade - was something that was hard to comprehend. It wasn't even the first time that one of his teammates disappeared. The initial one left out of his own choice, and that also left a scar in his teaching heart. This new missing one seemed to be kidnapped, but even so...Why now? Why, when news that would have surely enlightened the teenager had just arrived? News about Sasuke's whereabouts. It seemed as if Fate and Destiny were all against him.

On top of that, there was that vision; that ghost. That flicker of something that could not have been. He had seen it the first time with fear, shock, and some indistinguishable emotion, but also had half-way dismissed it away from his thoughts due to the irrationalness of it all. However...it was only yesterday that he had seen it once again. It was exactly the same with no changes in words of movement.

Yet...

Kakashi was a man who sometimes dwelled in two places at once: the past and the present. Certainly, he stared off into the future, but it was only when he was thinking about such things. Most of his life, however, could have been categorized as two parts, and only two: before Obito's death and afterwards. The impact of his Sensei's death was also something that had altered his life, but the death of the one who he once thought was nothing more than utter annoyance was the main mental blow.

Outside, in Konoha, it was raining. Once in a while, the emerald green land would be covered with the darkening skies as the clouds lost their weight. Only today, this one afternoon, it seemed as if the whole world was crying. From worry? Sadness? Or something else that he didn't want to ponder about? The silver haired man had to shake away those thoughts once again. After the lack of information on Naruto, they had gone out again and again to see if they could find something. _Anything_.

Nothing.

There was not one thing of the blond haired teenager called Naruto Uzumaki. It was already close towards a month since the disappearance, and the searchers had stated that the odds of finding him were near to nothing. Worse, after the first three attempts of finding the missing kid, the Akatsuki were oddly silent and were not seen in the world. Even the most sensitive of spies that Konoha had lying about couldn't figure out the location of even one of them. Whatever those people had planned was nothing that would be for the betterment of the world.

Today, he was resting in his apartment, lying in his cool bed as the sheets draped over his figure. The man was exhausted from the daily searches, and being that the rain was now going to wash away every little piece of scent, it was a day to rest. Not only that, but the Godaime had ordered him, as well as Sakura and Naruto's other friends, to rest while the rain occurs.

In the background, the last Hatake could hear the clock changing hands as he stared aimlessly towards the ceiling. What a week. There, he stayed in that position, letting time slip away with each breathing moment.

A knock occurred by his door, allowing Kakashi to advert his gaze towards the hallway that led towards his small living room. "I'm coming," he yelled out to whoever it could be at the other end as he clambered himself out of bed. He had been so exhausted before he had taken his nap that he was still in his shinobi outfit. The small, tiny noises of kunais slightly touching shurikens could be heard in his ears with each step he took closer towards the exit of him home. Opening it up in one fluid motion, his single visible eye managed to notice that it was Jiraya right there in front of him.

"Kakashi! I would have gone to see Tsunade first, but this news might be just as important to you as well." The voice of the man was serious, and instantly Kakashi went from a slumped and lazy stance to a more alert one. When the man who created a book series about life and love went serious on you, it could only mean one thing: a talk about something worthy of more than just fifty percent of one's attention.

Mentioning the man to come in and dry up, the silver haired genius closed the door behind him as the Toad Hermit went immediately to work on attaching seals to the walls. Since the Hatake had learned some seals of his own a few years ago, he automatically registered that they were ones that prevents outside bodies from eavesdropping. What could be so important that the white haired man would do such a thing?

"Jiraiya..." he began, trying to gain the attention of the man. The elder was finishing the seals up, dripping water all over the wooden floor. In fact, a closer inspection would show the mud splattered on the clogs as well as the lower part of the man's green pants. Scratches that were never there before appeared on his forehead protector with the symbol of oil. His red vest, normally bright and crisp, was filled with holes and had frayed edges. It showed the passage of time as well as the thoughts that this man had just come out of a battle.

Slapping his hand on the wall as a sign of finality, the Toad Sage nodded to himself before turning around to face Kakashi. The silver haired adult stood there, however, waiting to see what Jiraiya was going to say. Outside, the rain could be heard trying to hammer in through the windows, as well as the shingles roof. The white haired man lifted his hands as he sat down on the small couch that rested near the window, taking a deep breath. It seemed to eco pain as well as some sort of worry. "You look like you just came from a fight," began the Jounin, trying to get some sort of conversation going.

"I did."

That left for the silver haired man to just stare at the man for a few moments. Silence reigned between both of them until Jiraiya ran his left hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. "As you know, I was searching for information about Naruto's whereabouts. The biggest lead being that he was taken by the Akatsuki lead me eventually towards Ame Country..."

Kakashi noted that Jiraiya's expression was not one of pleasure either. It seems that the journey he had gone on came with problems, and lots of them. "Inside that place, I heard many stories of whom the villagers called 'God': stories about a man whom they treat with so _much_ respect because he killed the tyrant that had ruled there for many years." With this, the man raised his hand and turned to face Hatake. "Yes, that _certain _man was killed," Kakashi nodded a bit, getting worried as the story progressed. He had heard a few things about this man who apparently had been in charge of Rain; the same one who gave the title of 'Sannin' towards Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade because they left an impression on him even if they all lost. "With his death, this man whom they claimed 'God' made everything for the better, but they kept it all silent. I was surprised when he was no longer among the land of the living as well.

"Catching one of the civilians who seemed versed in what was going on, I eventually managed to worm out the name of 'Pein'. Ends up that the Akatsuki are revered as holy beings there."

Kakashi could only nod as the Toad Sage continued his tale, listening as it continued to become more and more like a fantasy mixed with horror. How Jiraiya had managed to eventually find the headquarters of the Akatsuki. How the man had walked in, leaving a few summoned toads out, just in case. (_Which meant_, the Hatake pondered,_ that there was a chance that he knew me might not be coming back alive._) How the Sage entered a nearly empty area and then ran into this 'Pein', the **leader** of the Akatsuki. How he had demanded where Naruto was, just as the man had demanded it _back_ as well. How they both eventually broke into **the** fight of Jiraiya's life. How the hermit had discovered that this 'Pein' was really a child he had once helped train called Nagato. How this man had a bloodline that was only rumored to be of existence. How this child was the one who the hermit had thought was one of a prophecy.

How Jiraiya nearly died.

"I...I wasn't going to make it," the man began, looking off towards a piece of rug on the wooden floor. "That man, 'Pein', had made six bodies of himself, each with different powers and all balancing each other out. I had to resort towards a technique of mine that was incomplete, and even then I was..." Jiraiya shook his head, looking older than his fifty-three years of age. "Right before the final wave of attacks, though...that was when it seemed like the world..."

Silence. "'The world...'?" Kakashi urged on.

Jiraiya turned his head, and looked right into Kakashi's eyes. Both their black eyes met; one of them deathly serious. "The world turned sluggish. That is the best way to describe it. The world turned sluggish and blinked 'off and on'. I thought I was dying, but then the alterations of the world and blackness slowed down and ceased. When I turned around, I finally realized that I was outside the Akatsuki base, still as damaged as I was before.

"The toads I had left outside grabbed me and began to race off towards the nearest medical care. I was too tired and weak from blood loss not to do anything myself. It wasn't until a few days ago was I ready to move anywhere at all. Yet, this whole affair left for troubling things. Neither I, nor 'Pein', know where Naruto is, and I know I did not do any form of jutsu to disappear from there, nor did _he_."

"Jiraiya," began Kakashi, "you have to tell the Hokage as soon as possible. And..." he added as a last note, "I've been noticing some odd things as well..."

He began to explain his visions as well as the feelings he received while viewing them. Even though it seemed that they both needed more rest, hurried off towards the dull red tower in the falling rain. It was done in quick and easy leaps as both of them stared at the building ahead. "I don't know what this means, but we have to get to the bottom of this," Jiraiya muttered. Of course, it was to be heard by both of them.

[x]

Minato was giving him a hard stare, and Naruto gulped a little bit. He was sitting up in him hotel room with his shirt and chain mail off to show the not-yet Yondaime his seal. It had taken some time and a few words of advice from the both of them, but eventually the Uzumaki allowed himself to be checked by them both in more depth than Jiraiya's usual visits. At first, the blond adult had assured the teen that it was nothing special, but as the time passed those blue eyes became...worried?

Standing up, Minato spoke up. "You are aware that this seal is very advanced, right? That the caster died in making this?"

"...Yes."

"And that it is also very weak right now?"

"Yeah," Naruto continued, shivering at the memories that he had of when he was training with Jiraiya for those three and a half years. The memory of waking up of what seemed to be sleep and seeing Ero-Sennin looking at him with pain filled his mind. _'You can't remember?' Jiraiya said before fainting, his blood ruining his clothing._

"Which one?"

He knew, of course, what they were asking. Should he tell? They both seemed eager to help, and it was STILL Jiraiya... "The Kyuubi," he finally said, looking away as if ashamed of himself.

Both of them gasped, for they knew what this meant, as did he.

[x]

Her name was Kushina Uzumaki! A jounin, though not a famous one, of Konoha as well as the last of the Uzumakis!

So it kinda was awkward when she ran smack into Minato Namikaze on her way towards the assignment hall to see if she could grab a possible B/A mission. It was all unintentional, for it seemed that he was occupied with something else, but the bump on her head wasn't exactly going to go away that quickly.

"Ah, I'm sorry," he began, making sure she was alright, which she was. It would take more than a little bump on her head to take her out! But she said it was alright anyways as long as he bought her something to eat as he had also dropped her lunch onto the floor.

So he did. At a ramen store. Sure, ramen might be nice, but she preferred udon or some other forms of food. But, at least it was free for she was still rather hungry (and it wasn't like they were on a date). Slurping down the noodles and looking at the man, Kushina made a mental note to herself. She and Minato knew each other, vaguely, and only enough to call each other by name and whatnot. She knew him just as much as she knew about the Hokage, which was rather limited. "So...you seem occupied," she began, trying to make a conversation. Eating silently was not something she was fond of. She liked having conversations with people, even if they were complete strangers.

In the background, she saw Jiraiya come in by. Now, she knew Jiraiya more than she knew his student as he was the one who helped her out every once in a while when she was still getting used to living in Konoha as a little child. Waving her hand around, she tried to call him closer, but it seemed like he, too, was also busy thinking about something important. It could be about the war. News was going around that they would have to get ready and expect an assault in the coming days as the Iwa-Konoha negotiations had all but collapsed into mud cakes. With both of them being the main assaulters...well, she prayed that this would end. War was a bitter and a terrible subject to speak to someone from the place that was once the Land of Whirlpools.

"Just been things, Miss Kushina," he began, eating his noodles with that far away, thinking face.

"Huh," she mumbled a bit. Yup. Still looking away. She wasn't going to have any conversations today. So, after eating, he paid for her and they both left in different directions.

The scenery today was pretty nice. The sun was shinning and the leaves were coming down a bit in typical Konoha fashion. Off in the distance, she saw the little kid that had bothered her a few days ago about her past and the Uzumakis. You know, he did look a bit like Minato, except smaller and not quite the same hairstyle. Oh well, she was off towards that Hokage Tower!

[x]

In this world, there are many rules. Rules that state once can do and what one cannot do. Rules that set the boundaries of life as well as their limitations. However, when an object steps out of those bonds, those rules seems to bend or break, unable to cope with someone going against them

That is what it seemed when a streak of yellow killed everything in its path.

Three pronged kunais flashed in the night sky as the country of Grass saw the beginnings of a battle that was certain to stay in history. An army of fifty Iwa-nins were going against perhaps something as small as twenty men from Konoha. And one Yellow Flash.

The carnage was horrendous. With that impossible speed, one man had utterly decimated the enemy force, killing them all before the onlookers could register what was going on in their minds. When the man with golden hair stopped in the middle of it, the enemy shinobi gracefully fell down like puppets cut off from their stings. Not one could register any pain at all, for the death was that quick. To their eyes, all they saw was a lone man on a plateau molding hand signs before seeing a beautiful golden light before it faded away into darkness; the endless call of sleep beckoning them.

Minato Namikaze panted a bit while his hair floated down to normal, following gravity. Using the Hiraishin against so many people was no easy feat, yet he could do it again if he had to. It wasn't until he turned around did he see that all of the Konoha ninjas were looking at him with utter awe and respect, as if they were looking at Kami himself. "Unbelievable," one of them muttered.

He continued to breath, his mind worrying over his students and their mission to destroy the bridge that gave supplies to the Iwa army: Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.

And Naruto.

[x]

"TAIJUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Naruto screamed out as he placed his fingers in a cross pattern. Hundreds of shadow clones popped into existence, and half of them instantly ran in front of his best friends while the others ran forward, pulling out shurikens and kunais to hurl at their opponents.

Rin was in the background being protected as it seemed it was her they were after. She could heal as she was a medic-nin, and in this time of massive warfare her skills was something of upmost need. Obito was swinging his kunai left and right, blocking the mass of shurikens that had come from the invisible enemies. So, naturally, the best way to draw them out was by sending a hoard of Narutos and make a circular mass of flying metal. The real him was hovering around the three of them, acting like 'leader' even though it was assigned for little Kakashi.

In the base of his mind, he could feel the Kyuubi influencing his thoughts a bit here and there. The thrill of fighting, the way his heart raced when he saw the Iwa-nins come out from their invisibility jutsus before slipping back; the prospect of hurting them. Naturally, he shoved all those thoughts away with one sole thought, which the protection of his precious people! Minato and Jiraiya said that until they could find a way to properly 'patch' up his weakening seal, he will think things like that that. Or rather, his prisoner could place more effects in his mind that made him react in that manner. They key thing, of course, was to not go into fits of rage.

This was anger. Not rage.

Kakashi pulled out a sword behind him and raced forwards towards where one Iwa-nin had popped into visibility, ignoring the pain that his eye was giving him. Naruto had witnessed only a day ago what had caused the scar on his sensei's face, and had vowed to protect them from harm even more!

Off proofed a clone. The other two men were still invisible, but that was soon going to be eradicated. He had been pumping chakra into a sphere of blue, ready to expose the enemies to allow Obito and Kakashi to finish them off. He couldn't see them, and neither could Obito as he had not activated his Sharingan, so by blasting away the ground below in a large radius, the Iwa-nins would be caught by surprise, turning visible once more. For no one knew - aside from Obito - that this blond haired teen knew a spiraling chakra ball of death.

"OUDAMA RASENGAN!" he cried out as he slammed it into the ground. Dust and flew everywhere, as did shouts.

[x]

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_LONG LIVE JIRAIYA!_


	13. Chapter 13

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Hanging like a silver plate etched with deep scratches, the moon shone on the land all around and far below. Its reaches of light touched the deep pine of each individual leaf that clung onto trees as if their lives depended on it. Truthfully, each teardrop shaped piece of nature did require the wooden branch for its life dependency, but a simple pluck from a child or the pull from the winds can render that leaf helpless. The only man that could have placed them back to normal was already long since dead. After all, the Shoudaime could never come back from death's entanglement…

Eventually, these rays gently kissed the edge of a large forest where, only a few moments earlier, a scar in the shape of a circle had grown. Leaves flew high into the air with a force of compressed air before gently falling back down like falling rain. There was no breeze strong enough to move them like snow, so eventually they rested back towards the ground they came from. Like a sheet of falling water, each one touched nearly everything on the ground. 'Everything' including the fingers of humans who were standing still, looking at the destruction, as well as the pieces of dim-glowing metals nestled deeply in their hands.

Though the heavens high above were clear of all forms of clouds, arches of lightning could be seen if one was there to observe it. The sounds of hundreds - no, _thousands_ - of bird could be heard chirping, as if all concentrated on one focal point. A girl with brown hair and purple rectangles on her cheeks was seen standing in a small area of grass, right next to a taller figure with blond hair, and someone else with spiky black hair. In front of them was a small child with silver hair, who had his hand filled with a ball of electricity.

"-Sensei said not to, Kakashi!" the female screamed out.

But it was too late for those words to reach the Hatake's ears. With a simple, flowing movement, the child sped forth, using the falling dust and leaves as a form of a distraction to prevent the enemies from seeing him right away. The blond teenager had managed to shock the enemies out of their invisibility with his large and powerful attack, but that emotion would only last for so long. Cutting through the thin smoke, the child managed to hear the voice in the background of the other boy who was guiding him with a newly acquainted power.

"LEFT!" came the cry as the child moved left. "Sidestep right!" was the next one as Kakashi followed the words of his teammate. Though the response time was lagging, it was still better than running 'blindly' - as his sensei had cautioned him about. Obito had acquired his Sharingan only a few moments ago, but could already see the other ninjas reactions and help out Kakashi. However, he had to be within eyesight, and there was always the chance of getting hurt because of the delay of Obito's voice to reach his ears.

Naruto, on the other hand, was facing off one of the enemy by himself. His powerful version of the Rasengan was not aimed at killing them, though it would have been more helpful if he did. But since the enemies were unable to be seen only earlier, and that Obito had yet to unlock him bloodline limit until literally a few seconds ago, the blond had to think of a different way to expose them. He had to do so because he had to protect his friends; his precious people.

For you see, that was what all of them were to him: friends, bordering along _**family**_. It had been more or less one year since falling into this land of _elsewhere_, and he had grown to all of them. Ero-Sennin was, and will always be, Ero-Sennin, and he felt like that man was some sort of a grandfather, even now. Sure, some things were missing, but the memories of the...well _his_ Ero-Sennin got dragged towards this one. Minato was like...well, something difficult to place, but up there anyways in Naruto's personal list. Obito was like a long-lost cousin of his, if he had cousins to compare against. Though they had an age difference of about four years - which is a lot for a ninja - they both liked to goof off together more often than not. The brown haired girl called Rin was like a niece or sister, he guessed. Too calm for a Sakura-like personality, yet had a lot of determination. A little bit like Shizune, who was the woman he thought to be a 'sister' as well. Kakashi, at first, was hard to get used to. His personality now was something WAY out of synch with his older one, but Naruto was hoping that by showing that good ninjas didn't always have to follow rules he could eventually get the old/new Kakashi back. That, and Obito wanted to try to tackle the problem as well. The child still had some issues, but he was hoping that he would get over it eventually. After all, the kid was like an uncle! A young one, but 'uncle'-like anyways...

That is why he was here to protect them. When Minato's team had received the news that they were to infiltrate the frontlines and destroy a bridge that brought supplies to the enemy in Grass, Naruto had brought himself along, though he wasn't officially a part of the team. The Sandaime agreed to do it, mainly because Obito and Rin had begged a _'bit'_, and Jiraiya helped persuade a little as well for he wanted to know that at least the teen was with one seal master.

Only the blond adult and the white haired Ero-Sennin knew about the Kyuubi, and Naruto planned for it to stay that way. However, it was getting harder and harder to hide it as time passed and as missions continued.

Naturally, when the four of them got ambushed by the Iwa-nins one day after Mianto had gone off to the front lines to help out Konoha, he was got **angry**. They had nearly taken Rin captive, and it didn't help that the day prior, Kakashi nearly got his shoulder cut off. The enemy's attack ended up nearly hitting the eye as well, leaving for the child's scar that Naruto knew would last for the rest of the Hatake's life.

Kakashi, Rin, and Obito were taking care of themselves - and being watched over by many shadow clones - so the teenager was up against one of the men alone. There were perhaps as many as three or two, but Naruto didn't really keep count. Mentally, he kept telling himself to calm down, repeating over and over again that phrase in his mind while the rest of him readied himself to stop this guy in front from helping his partner. He could recall what happened once he got filled with rage when he was fighting Deidara. Or rather, recall the lack of knowledge for certain moments. He could remember the pain, though.

Flipping through hand seals, the teenager made another clone appear next to him and then it henge'd into a fuuma shuriken: one of the largest shurikens that was practical to throw. Running forwards, he threw the clone and aimed it at the Iwa-nin's head. With a simple, yet agile, jump, the brown haired man dodged it, making sure to reach away from the possible arm distance of the shadow clone shuriken. However, it was at this moment that Naruto made another hand seal, but hesitated for a few milliseconds. Here he was, killing _other_ people. Was this really the right thing to do? Yes, he had to protect those close to him, but to kill in cold blood like this... Naruto finished the sign and pumped a bit of chakra in it to make the clone explode, mentally wincing at what he was about to do. Though not on the man, the exploding kage bunshin shuriken was close enough to render the man into something useless.

In the background, there was another man's quick scream, but then nothing. Silence once returned as the last of the falling leaves touched the ground. The echoes of those one thousand birds faded away as well, leaving the slumped bodies of only two men, and the panting figures of four. The Uzumaki stood up straight after a few moments, looking down at the man he had just killed. He could see his reflection is the other man's dull eyes; could see that he had nearly passed that brink of too much anger. _Calm down, calm down. Think of what Ero-Sennin said._

The only 'good thing' in this whole escapade was that the war seemed to be nearing its end. Naruto had seen what the Yellow Flash could do in a small scale, and from the onlooker's side, that attack was both amazing and frightfully scary. The enemy had no chance at all, and the only way to stop from being killed was to prevent the attack from starting. However, this action seemed impossible as the Hiraishin no Jutsu was not the only move that the blond adult knew.

"You guys alright over there?" he asked, after taking deep breaths, trying to ignore the body of the man in front of him. _Sorry_, he mentally added.

"Yeah..." began Rin as she sighed before grabbing Kakashi's hand. "Now you," she began, trailing her eyesight towards Naruto's sensei, "shouldn't be trying something as stupid as that," she scolded while healing him while not really meaning those words. Kakashi didn't seem to be taking this very well, but remained still as Rin's hand glowed green to apply chakra to his skin. "You nearly reopened your wound! I'm not that great of a medic, yet, you know!"

Naruto walked over towards Obito next, making sure he was fine as well. A little dusty here and there, but other than that, the black haired seemed alright. He was currently looking at his hands in awe before looking around left and right. "My Sharingan...wow!" he breathed, but then turned them off and looked straight at Kakashi.

Who looked back.

"Thanks..." came the small mutter from the silver haired boy. "Thanks for telling me where to go."

"No problem. That's...what teammates are for," came the response. Naruto hoped this was a sign for the better.

[x]

His hair was moving in the wind as Naruto sighed, softly. It was night, the day after the ambush, and nearly everyone was fast asleep. Minato was also there, and he was proud that his students managed to be alright through that attack. He also seemed worried, but seeing Obito's happy face of showing how he managed to help out the crew was enough to hide it, Naruto guessed.

Sixteen. He was sixteen. His birthday was still not for another few months, but it made him think of the Kyuubi. Considering that it was still a whole year and then some away from his birth, he was beginning to worry. There had yet to be any news of the Kyuubi of this _somewhere_. As the more time he spent here, the more time he thought that this could be the past: **his** past. Yet, it was too far-fetched to believe it. However, it was getting harder and harder to say 'no' to that notion as time passed.

But him, being **here**! What would it do towards his life? If this really was the past...!

"Hey," Minato called out, standing right over the teenager, who was lying on the ground. "You know, I am the one to be on guard duty. It's alright for you to take a few Zs now and then." The tall adult's voice was soothing and caring, like as if he was Naruto's sensei, which wasn't true as he really hadn't learned anything from the Namikaze. Well, any not any new moves from the man. He had been self-practicing all the time, trying to get better and better just in case this whole affair was something dealing with the Akatsuki, or if he ran into any of them in the coming future.

"Thanks, you know, for helping out my students. From the sound of things, if it wasn't for you, things might have gotten a whole lot worse." Naruto noticed that Minato drifted his eyesight off towards the plains that they were currently camping in. The wide expanse of the grass blowing in the wind made it seem almost like an ocean. High above, the stars continue to twinkle, giving very little light to the world below. Only a small fire made shadows that danced on the faces of the two blonds.

"It was the least I could do! I always protect those who are important to me! Otherwise, how else could I become the Hokage?" he exclaimed out. That dream of his was still there, just as it always will be. Though it may take longer than normal, he will be Hokage one day!

The adult already knew of the teen's ambitions, so he just merely smiled before continuing to look back upon the sky. After a few moments, Naruto decided to join watching. He wasn't really sleepy at the current moment because his mind was still up in airs, but just lying on his back, watching the sky, seemed to calm him down. _So this is what Shikamaru meant..._ he mused silently.

The Yellow Flash sighed in the background. "So...you know the Rasengan, huh?"

"Ughh..." That certainly hit him like a wooden door. _Kusso! What am I supposed to say now!_ The clouds could no longer distract him tonight! Sitting up and placing his hand in front of his face, he bit down a bit on his nail and stammered a bit. "Uhh...W-What makes you say that, eh?" Naruto asked, obviously really nervous. _Dang it! I can't hide that I know it acting like this!_

The adult gently smiled and did a little nod, as if trying to calm down the teenager. "When Obito and Rin, as well as Kakashi, described what you did, as well as said, it was just a manner of 'guessing'. Also, a certain someone oversaw you doing that move a long time ago. What I want to know is how you managed to learn it." As if noticing Naruto's uneasiness, he softly chuckled. "Don't worry; it's nothing that will get you in trouble. I'm just merely curious for now."

_Kusso!_ "Ah...well...you see..."

"It's 'cause he comes from the _**future**_!" exclaimed a happy voice in the background that could only be one certain black haired Uchiha. The small child had bounced over a couple of rocks and threw himself face forwards in front of both of them. "You'll believe me, right sensei? He MUST be from the future 'cause he knows one of your moves AND looks like you, too!"

"Dang it, Obito!" cried out a voice in the background. What had once been Rin's pillow from her sleeping form was now flying through the air, hitting the Uchiha right on the head. "I'm trying to get some sleep here to recover from yesterday!" The girl wasn't exactly graceful when half-awake, and within a matter of seconds she quickly fell back asleep, ignoring the stares she was slightly receiving.

"Future, eh?" came the joking reply from Minato as he rubbed Obito's hair in a sensei-pupil moment. But, while doing this, he was looking at Naruto with those piercing blue eyes.

[x]

The way back from the mission went normal. The defeat of the Iwa army towards the north leads for a relatively quiet ride back towards Konoha. When the tired group finally arrived back towards the pale yellow gates, they were in for a surprise. Many of the villagers were cheering and happy, aiming all of this at a certain blond haired adult man. Naturally, Minato began to get a bit nervous until a certain redhead pushed people out of the way to help the stunned group stumble off towards their apartments and homes. Yet, while still going, there were cheering all around.

"The Hokage is going to want to meet with you tomorrow," began Kushina as she turned to face the Namikaze right in the eyes, "about really important stuff, so I heard." She visually checked him out, making sure there were no scrapes and bruises. After making sure, she gave him that smile that made him seem to feel even happier on the inside...

"Ahem," coughed out Rin. "Sensei..."

Blushing due to embarrassment, he turned around to address his team and Naruto. "Ah, well then I guess everyone should go. I know your parents - or in Naruto's case, the innkeeper - will be eager to see all of you." He watched as all of them left, minus Kushina of course. Over the past year, the two shinobis turned from merely knowing each other due to working in the same town to becoming an 'item'. Perhaps item was not the right word for once this war was over, he wanted her to stay with him...as something _more_. He loved her with all his heart, for she was his precious...

"Thinking about your lady, eh Minato?" joked his own sensei in the background. With a little jump, Jiraiya squeezed himself right between the couple, trying to start a conversation over the cheering that could be heard in the streets. "You know," the Toad Sage said, pointing out at the crowd, "they are doing this because of your stunning victory a few days ago. When the other ninjas came in and said how you single-handily defeated an army of Iwa-nins with a move that made you into 'light', the villagers became ecstatic! Even I have to ask now: did your Hiraishin manage to defeat that many people?"

Minato could tell that Kushina was also curious, for she was edging her body closer to overhear everything. "I'll tell you once we get inside my apartment, alright?" he began. There was another reason why he wanted to go inside his home, but he was unsure wither to take it as reality or as a joke. Obito certainly seemed to believe in it, even if it WAS rather crazy...

And Naruto never said 'no'.

[x]

_Yes, I realize that Kakashi didn't get his eye nearly taken out/taken out till later, but remember that Naruto is there... -trails off, wiggling fingers- And I hope I made Naruto's fight seem realistic enough. I didn't really want to drag it through-out the entire chapter... -laughs- I also hope I made him seem in character. For some reason, when he is not fighting, he has this funny/goofy attitude, but once fighting, it switches to protection, so that is what I tired to convey._

_I wrestled with the idea of making Obito die. I didn't WANT him to, but if he stayed alive, how would Kakashi's personality be affected? I don't really want to have Kakashi stay like a mini-Sasuke (('cause if you don't know, I loath that certain Uchiha)), but having a dead Obito is...well, bad._

_Also, what talk is Minato going to have with Jiraiya and Kushina? Something good? Bad? WHO KNOWS? ((Except me.)) And yeah, there are some slight Minato x Kushina moments in there, but hopefully not too much. This fic isn't really supposed to be about their relationship. That, and my romantic vein is non-existent._


	14. Chapter 14

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

When two nations go to war, there is a moment of ones assurance of victory for a nation. A passerby can see hope on the faces of the country or land who started the war, ascertain of their victory. However, as time goes by, those faces change into ones that know the hardships that come with such fighting: death, being bringers of destruction, and the knowledge that they might not win.

When two nations go to war and it is involuntary for one nation, the stakes are raised even higher. Not ready for such turmoil, the land can be taken over at any moment, especially when you were not dealing with soldiers, but with men and women who - at the twist of their wrists - can bring down mountains. Thus, if news spreads that they are not loosing, but actually _winning_, the hopes of these people can rise, making them smile and cheer each other on. If a sole man made a large contribution to this all, he would be treated like a hero; a protector; a saint.

Or, to the people of Konoha, something akin-ed to Kami.

It was a bit invading to his personal space, but it made him feel glad that they were happy and safe. Yet, it wouldn't have hurt them to not have showed it off in such over-dramatic ways. But, Minato Namikaze couldn't exactly say 'no' to them, as each person was one he deemed as a precious person. Every of them were a part of the village, and Konoha was the place he loved most of all. Kushina didn't seem to mind anyways, but she was huddling a bit closer towards him, as well as Jiraiya, to prevent the crowds from coming in closer.

One of the cutest sights, though, were the small children who were smiling, cheering, and waving. The Iwa-Konoha War was still going on, yet these people were ecstatic over the fact that this person in front of them prevented the front from being lost. Yet, Minato knew that there were bound to be saddened individuals in the crowd and in the village. Many shinobi lost their lives that day...In fact, too many. Out of the total force in the front, only about four - minus him - had survived.

"Hey," came the soft, caring voice behind him. Normally, Kushina was a loud and boisterous person, but that did not mean that she couldn't find a way to comfort people. It was almost as if she could read his mind and knew he was thinking of the past few days. "Minato, I'm sure you tried your hardest. Now come, let's go to your apartment where we can talk more about this, ok?"

Eventually, all three of them headed off towards the wooden buildings that resided near the center of Konoha. They still met many a people along the way, but they were more peaceful meetings. Once they reached the door, Kushina turned to face him and gave his hand a small squeeze before he opened it and entered.

The time to settle down and sit took almost thirty some minutes. The blond man had plopped down on his couch, feeling a wave of tiredness from the week's earlier events. On the coffee table resisted a little teapot filled with Jiraiya's favorite tea - as the white haired man made it using the kitchen supplies - with three cups next to it. The shades were open and he could see some birds fly through the window. Minato took a deep sigh before sitting up and running his hand through his hair. Dust could be streaming in the air though the sunlight; a reminder that he has not been in here for a while.

"So..." slowly started his red haired girlfriend, "how was the mission? Truthfully." Even Jiraiya nodded as he turned to face the young man. "I hear many, upon many, rumors, but I want to hear the facts. I know that look on your face, as well as this old man here, means something serious happened." Her hands were placed on the side, but her face was aimed directly at him so they could have eye contact.

Minato only sighed a bit while the memories went through his head. With a small nod, he began to explain the tale of what had happened, pausing every once in a while to recollect his thoughts. Both of his listener's eyes could only widen as the words went by. However, once he had started to explain his Hiraishin and what he had to do to the enemy ninjas, their facial expression was unreadable. Wrapping up what happened in the end, the blond man decided to talk about what had occurred towards his team and Naruto. All in all, it took about two hours to go through the details for everything, and never once did either of the listeners move.

Some silence continued to pass as the sun could now be seen on the window it wasn't there before, claiming that it was now going to be mid-afternoon. Kushina was the first to speak up afterwards, blinking as if her mind was processing the information. "There were fifty of them, and you got them all with _one _move?" Minato nodded back, remembering the insane speed at which he went at. The whole jutsu made everything just freeze, like as if he could just go out and touch and get no response: which was something that actually happened.

"No wonder everyone is looking at you with reverence..." mumbled his sensei as the white haired man rubbed his chin in thought. "You realize now that this one move of yours will turn the tables of this war even further? I can guarantee that Iwa has either just raised your rank in their bingo book, or they're still in disbelief."

The golden haired man sighed a bit. His Hiraishin was...deadly. It was hard to explain without experiencing it. It allowed the user - him - to go at such a speed that... In all aspects, attacking them when they are 'harmless' and all without warning. He knew he could do it on smaller scales, but it was the first attempt on something more than thirty people or so. On top of that, for such a deadly move, it wasted relatively little chakra in comparison to what he could do with it. Defiantly not something that should ever go into enemy hands...

"Questioning the morality?" came the voice of his girlfriend. Rising his head up so that his eyes met hers, Minato noticed that she was standing up right in front of him. "It's war, Minato, and you must do what must be done. It wasn't as if they were all innocent civilians! I know killing mass numbers of people is looked down upon in ethics, but had you not, do you think they would have stopped advancing and ended the war? Hell no!" She raised her arms up in the air before sitting down again. "But at least you are alright," she ended with a smile.

"There is something else..." the Namikaze began. "There was this conversation - albeit, small - between Obito, Naruto, and I that brought something up that was crazy, yet made me think if it could be true." He took a deep breath, unsure on how to say the words. Every attempt in his mind sounded worse than the one before, so eventually he gave up and decided to just state it simply. "Obito thinks that Naruto could have come from the future...and as do I now."

[x]

Rin was slowly walking down the steps the lead from the top of a small hill in the middle of Konoha towards the central district. Her parents had given her a small sum for her to spend on something she liked for a great job on her infiltration mission. So, she was currently trying to find a scroll on medical jutsus, as well as try to find a way to train herself better. She did heal in the last fights, but she couldn't attack. She needed to get better! YEAH!

Some people gave her a funny look before she realized that she had pumped her hand in the air. Sheepishly, she lowered it before sighing and looking around the main market area. The people seemed to have happier expressions, even though they had arrived in the village last week... The news about Sensei had spread far and wide Konoha, and it seemed to be on the lips of everyone still. Of course, no one really knew about the close-calls or stuff like that...

"Rin!"

_Huh?_she thought as she turned her head to face the voice who was addressing her. Off towards the side was none of than Obito...though she found it odd that he had found her in the markets. After all, this was where she did something called 'shopping', which she thought Obito didn't find favor of very much. Not that it really mattered right now, as she was happy to have someone to talk with about. "Hey, Obito," hse said with a smile.

If she was happy to go shopping for scrolls, then he seemed estatic for something else entirely. He was jumping up and down a bit, with his arms tucked behind his head. A sly grin was plastered on his face, signifying that he had a secret that no one else knew. Or rather, a secret he THOUGHT that no one else had access to. Rolling her eyes, she decided to ask anyways. If he was here jumping up and down, then it was quite obvious that he was going to tell her something. "Alright...spill. What is it?"

His goggles were still up in his hair, almost coming down from their proper place when he blurted it out. "Minato-Sensei is going to become the _**Hokage**_ next month!"

She opened her eyes and gaped. This was-!

[x]

Naruto heard the news as well, naturally. How could he not? Word of lip went from person to person, and he had found out by the owner of Ichiraku. When Kakashi had told him, it almost made him spit out his precious ramen...The silver haired child thought it was 'cause he didn't expect it, but that was not the truth. The first thing on his mind was: _Oh HELL, the Kyuubi! _It was a thought he didn't realize until he saw the man that was to be his own teacher in front of him. After all, It invaded when the Yondaime was a new Hokage. But that was an actual invasion, and he had no clue if the demon was out and about before his fated day.** Nor will I tell you, little Mortal creature...**

"-na said that the country of Iwa was pulling out of the northern countries as well, slowing in back onto their main lands. That could mean that this war could be over 'soon', in the terms of ninjas."

His blue eyes went back to focus on the child as he gave him his grin. "Ah...Hehehehe, sorry Kakashi. I was...ugh...thinking about something else." The look he received wasn't nice, but it wasn't a glare either. At least it had brought his thoughts away from the Kyuubi...Or it had until he had self-brought it up again. "Well, that's great for him, right? I mean..."

The smaller child seemed to be almost apprehensive about something, but Naruto couldn't exactly place his finger directly on it. "What is it?" he finally asked, well aware that it seemed to be a piece of information that Kakashi had been wanting to talk about for a while, now. Oh, he took his time, and by the time the masked kid was able to speak, the blond teenager was already on his edge of his seat.

Still, it didn't prepare for what he was going to hear. It was bigger than the Yondaime going to become the Yondaime.

[x]

Sometimes, to set things in motion, all one person, object, or thing had to do was just gently nudge someone in a different direction. Other times, to change the course of life takes a much more drastic note. To change it might need something like a battle that was to have never had happened, or perhaps something like a person that was never supposed to be alive. In this case, the subject was not a certain Naruto Uzumaki, the son of the forth Hokage and the red-headed kunoiichi, but rather the continuous existence of a certain Obito Uchiha. This was the child that was supposed to die, in the middle of that fateful war...After all, who was to give Kakashi life's lesson? Who was to make Kakashi into the man that was known through-out the modern land as the Copy Nin? Who was supposed to make that child turn into someone that people could trust?

Reality is often never set in stone, it would seem. The actions of one can change the course of the future. Wither it be for the improvement of all or for nothing is something no one could comprehend.

Hatake learned this the hard way.

It began as an average day in Konoha; as average as it could be with one - no, two was always the correct term - of his teammates missing. Only Sakura was left, and she herself was taking the loss of them both hard. However, she had at least managed to keep one foot firm and devoted more of her time under the tutelage of Tsunade, the Slug Princess. With only one person left, it seemed like as if he had failed in doing what he had promised long ago. There still was no news of the missing one, but now it seems it was time to cope. Only a few believed he was still alive. Kakashi, however, couldn't say which side he was on. Did he believe that Naruto was alive? Or did he believe that he was dead, long since gone like his former teammate? Perhaps he might never get the answer. Did he really want it?

He sighed as he turned the page of the book, wondering what else was going to happen in his life. Whenever he felt the need to escape from here into a land where almost everything went well, all he had to do was pull open an Icha Icha novel and all was 'terrific'. Yet, it was never healthy, and he knew it. It was just-

He bumped into someone right then. Like as if he didn't even notice that there was a body/figure right in front of him! Which was odd, especially since Kakashi was still aware of the surrounding world when having his mind in the words of a quick escape. Quickly, he pulled it back into his rear kunai pocket and turned to face the object of which he bumped into.

The said person was down upon the ground, dusting himself off as his black, spiky hair waved about in the air. Some part were a bit brown due to the dust collected upon the fall, but everything else seemed in order. The dark blue pants - they seemed to be standard Konoha material - weren't torn and it seemed like the man was alright. "Sorry," the silver haired man began as he offered his hand for the mister below him.

"Oowwww..." came a small mutter as the Hatake helped the man up. "Hehehe, sorry about that! Didn't see where I was going!" The face finally took a look up at Kakashi, and plastered all over it was one of a ghost. A figure of a past that had long ago disappeared, along with possibly any other forms of family he might had have left until 'recently'... "HEY! Kakashi! I didn't see you! Sorry! Hey, nice mask! I didn't know you still wore that out in public. Oh, and Rin says hi as well. Wants you to visit her once you have time off the ANBU..." _...But I...This isn't..._"-inato-Sensei also muttered something about we running off and helping his kid learn the ninja ropes, or something like that. Have you SEEN him! He's SO CUTE! Like a mini-clone of his dad, you know! Except with kitty whiskers!

"Is it just me or have you gotten older/taller looking? You used to be this tall, now you are **this **tall! Wow, Kakashi!" _This...can't be...real...!_"AH! I have to get going! I had to order some food for my folks, you know. Some sort of squash and veggies. Whenever you are off, might as well pay me a visit, ok? It'll be great to catch up on old times! Well, I have to go! And don't forget to see the sun once in a while, you seem like you just saw a ghost. Ahahaha..."

With that, he was gone. He simply jumped off towards the building where a shingle ripped off and hit him on the head. Kakashi didn't even bother move from his spot, and the clay piece did nothing that a simple rub might heal. Of course, his mind was thinking neither of these things right now. It was currently still staring at the body of the young man running off in the distance with the red and white ensigma pasted on the back of his shirt. It took him a few seconds to process it, but right after the fading body came Kakashi, dropping his novel in the middle of the road and leaving it far behind...

[x]

Blonde hair dripped over her shoulders as she gave forth a large sigh before banging her hand upon the table. Today was not a great day. Already there were more reports coming in from Jiraiya that the Akatsuki were still searching for Naruto, a person who may no longer exist in this world. It saddened her every time she had to read those words on the page: 'still no information about him'. It was torturous, like the feeling she had when Dan had died in her healing care so long ago..._No! _she thought once again, forcing herself to completely process the papers. _Don't dwell on such past for now. Think of their dreams to save and lead Konoha and help the Land of Fire._It was enough self-reasurance for now, so she piled the paper up in a different stack that was meant to be destoryed. Such information gathered with spies had to be done so to protect those unglorified workers.

The door opened in the background, and Tsunade had wondered why Sakura had yet to knock. Normally, she did that or just waltz in to tell about her day and her training. But instead of a pink haired, sea-green eyed pupil, it was an odd girl she had never seen before. Purple stripes on her cheeks made the older woman think of the clan that lived within Konoha's walls, but her appearance was different in everything else. Dark brown hair, in the shape of an average hairstyle seen around, was upon her head, as well as dark brown eyes. Her headband was wrapped around her neck; its special crest showing the Leaf symbol.

"May I help you?" the Godaime began, making her head rest upon her hands. She studied this woman, who seemed to carry around an air that she was some sort of well-practiced ninja. Odd though. She was someone she had never seen before.

The young girl's head tilted in confusion, absorbing in the sights of the room, as if this was her first time taking a step in here. "Ah...where is Sensei? I was supposed to give this to him, but...what are you doing in here? I thought..."

_Well, this is an awkward way to say hello to the Hokage... 'What are you doing in here?' Humph._"Well, Miss...I would have thought you would have known your Hokage better," she said with a sharp edge. After all, assassins on Kages - the leaders of the villages - was not unheard of in the history of the world. Though, one had to be either extremely foolish or insane to fight against a Sannin.

That comment caught her off gaurd. "My...Hokage? No, no. Sensei is...ugh, Miss! It would be nice if you please told me where Minato-Sensei is because I have these files I have to give to him and..."

Minato. What the hell? That was the name of her team member's prized pupil, the son Jiraiya never had. He had long since died away, died saving the village from a demon attack! What was this woman trying to prove by spreading about a name that the villagers and ninja hold in up-most regard? _Well, let's see how far I can play along in this little game..._she thought. A simple hand movement was enough to alert the ANBU that were nearby. Alert...but not attacking. Placing on a new face, she took a stern look at the girl in front of her. "The Yondaime is not here at this moment and won't be in for a while. Leave the files here and I'll take care of it. I assure you."

The brunette seemed to stall for a few moments before placing them down on the desk, well aware that Tsunade's eyes were following her every movements. She took a quick, brief glance at the words labeled below, but only had time to glance at the second part of the name: Rin. With that, the woman left, and the ANBU stepped out of the shadows, each still with a body language that screamed they could have killed her.

"Follow her, and see who she talks to," she said as she waved them away. A gust of wind flew by her as they sped off. She took this time to pick up the piles of papers - some sort of report, it seemed - and checked the date. _Why, this is a wrong date by at least ten years! What kind of a gag was that woman trying to pull?_

With that, she called forth Shizune by screaming out loud. Both were going to have a long day, searching through the records. As a second note, before the moon reached its zenith, she wrote a small note that was to be sent to Jiraiya to tell him of the current proceedings. Perhaps he could fish up a few things...

[x]


	15. Chapter 15

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

There was one word that many people could scoff at in this day and age; a word that has long-lost its symbolism in a time where all we have these high tech objects near us. Gone were the days when all one had to do was look outside the window and wonder what the Fates had bestowed upon you at that moment. Now, mostly everyone believed in more realistic things, such as being proven by science or cracked by a team of specialists. Whatever the case, there was still a sense of mysticism behind this one word. It was a word that confused many people, and even now, only one person and one hybrid truly had faith in the meaning of this word.

For, you see, the word was 'prophecy', the foretelling of something that was to happen that has not yet happened. It was a strong word for those that could do the act of making such a bold statement meant that they must have some sort of connection for the future, a connection that war could be fought over to try to claim for oneself. There was another thing about prophecy that made people seem to shy away from what others called their own forms of Art: the fact that if a prophecy was made, would that mean that the person's life belong to Fate? Tied down by words that had come out of a special being? Printed in ink in the large storybooks of the Kami that could never be changed?

Years ago, there was the prophecy of a child that would either become the savior or the destructor of the world. However, even the foretelling of ones 'fate' cannot always be crystal in it's meaning. Mistakes can be made by the analysis of the listener, thus possibly setting something into stone that would have otherwise never happened. Perhaps prophecy has nothing to do with Fate, and it was just an action that led others to believe it was true, thus making their lives follow these words. That, in turn, could essentially make the Words of Fate come true, _caused_ by people who _wanted_ it to be true.

Then again, maybe it really was Kami, spreading his ink on a blank sheet or parchment. The only ones who could know were no longer telling.

It is in this mindset that the Kyuubi can be seen, as well as its fellow demons that had once ravaged the land, as perhaps fore bringers of Death. They were the epitome of fear; beings of pure chakra and energy that could destroy and annihilate anything and everything in their paths. Only pure fools could dare challenge them, and none would live to tell the tale of their defeat. Through rumors, the existence of such demons began, spreading slowly upon the common folk before traveling its way upwards towards the minds of 'higher' individuals. It was them who created some of the mess in the world today. The time was when the land was at bloodshed, and the people who lived in the landscape had no real place to call a home. Richer people had armies, but those were unskilled. The powerful families had skill, but not the numbers. When one wanted what the others had, a war had begun: the First Great Shinobi War.

This war should have ended just as fast as it had begun. And in relative, it had, though not for the reason that people had wished for. Rumors of creatures filled the stories of those who had survived. What the leaders of some, though not all, new nations of the land had done was something unthinkable. They had managed to find and trace down the existence of those rare demons that were in a 'psychical' form and then forced them inside the bodies of young or able people who could hold them. Most of them all ended in disaster, for there was not enough knowledge to comprehend what they had just done to innocent people: the new _jinchuuriki_. Eventually, the hosts either died by murder or lost their demons for a new host, continuing a cycle that could now be hidden. After all, with the making of new nations, no one was going to claim that they had a human sacrifice in their midst. They wanted to keep them secret and used as weaponry to crush all that would defy them.

Yet, there were only a few captured and tamed, if one was so speak in such terms. A few were still out there, undiscovered by humans, though perhaps known. Every once in a while a village would disappear off the face of the earth and an earthquake was formed when it could have never occurred. Then, there were the rumors of the most powerful of them all: the King of All Bijou, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the one who could challenge the gods. Never seen, it was, until that fateful day of October the tenth. And it was on that day that the first _jinchuuriki_ was made not out of force or for a weaponry purpose, but out of love. Love for a village, love for people; a love that could possibly never be understood by anyone else other than the man who had killed himself for the sake of others.

Its capture had made it furious at first. Try as it could, its mental body couldn't escape the mortal prison which the demon was given. The red fur bristled as the large fist hit the caged doors in the belly of a newborn. But it was already too late, the deed was done and it was already inside the accursed seal. Perhaps doomed for all time until the vessel would die, thus ending the life of itself.

When the first signs of break appeared in the seal, it grew excited, however. After years of silence and natural bemusement, it finally had the chance to escape; to walk free once again and destroy the one place that had dared tried to defy it, as well as the one man who had abolished the demon in a Mortal.

It wanted to put out the Sun of the lives of Konoha. _One year and a fraction of a few months left..._ it rumbled silently, musing to itself as the vessel did something not worthy paying attention to. _Then, I will deliver what my name implies._

[x]

The golden orb above was shining brightly as a blond haired teen walked down the large, wooden expanse that connected one shore towards the other. Each step of the _zori_ left a noise of harmony and rhythm for a short period of time. The bridge itself was rather old, and was well known through this area of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was a meeting place, a gathering place, and a place where one could think by themselves if needed. It was here the teenager stopped, standing right in the middle as he turned to face his reflection in the waters below.

It was summer time in Konohagakure. Birds were with their young, who were tethering on the thresholds of adulthood. And yet, here he was, looking down once again. It wasn't normal, but his thought process was in a fritz. Minato was going to get married with the one who he had thought was perhaps his distant relative, and that man was going to do so around the time he is to become the Hokage. What did this mean to him, Naruto? After all, that woman was the only Uzumaki he had heard about... He shook his head. No, it was not time to think about what-ifs and crazy ideas that couldn't be possible. He's an Uzumaki, not a Namikaze...right? No way! Never!

OH, who was he **kidding**? Here he was, avoiding Minato and Kushina because he had FINALLY seen the resemblance and had come to the startling conclusion. What he had thought managed to make him stay mute and stunned all day yesterday and today after what Kakashi had mentioned so casually. He had wondered the first time why Team Seven had called him the Minato-clone, and then saw the resemblance, but he didn't bother analyze further into it.

"Big mistake, Naruto," he muttered to himself, picking up a rock and throwing it into the river flowing below. Had he, it would have avoided this awkward feeling he was getting right now. With all the possible pieces he could get from this moment, it stacked neatly together: he was the child of the Yondaime and his wife. Or rather, was _going_ to be. But HOW! The Yondaime saved the village by sealing the Kyuubi into him! How could a father - any man...? The blond chastised himself. He always went around about how he was going to be the Hokage, but isn't it their job to protect the village? Yes, but did that give the right to…?

"Me...I'm...Namikaze?" he whispered to no one. There was, of course, no absolute proof...for now; there shouldn't be for at least almost a year.

Shaking his head, the Uzumaki glared at his reflection, as if to challenge himself. "Come on, Naruto!" he said to himself. "You have to keep at it! So what if you father MIGHT-is the...!" He clenched his fist, before slamming it down upon the rest wood. After some time, however, a small grin soon replaced upon his head: one filled with a plan. "If he is I can save him from the Kyuubi, and if not, I can help some child anyways!"

He kept this mentality down the path away from the bridge towards his favorite place of all time: Ichiraku Ramen. It was his favorite dish, and on top of that, it was a nice place to sit and think for a while. He ordered a large bowl of _miso_ while pondering. A part of his was still in denial...After all, how could he be the son of the most famous ninja to have ever occurred? But then there was that side of him that was giving a huge rebuttal. No one had ever _told_ him who his parents were...Jiraiya had occasionally mentioned Minato when they trained together. _There __**was **__more going on there_, he thought while slurping down the goodness that was salty noodles in seasoned water.

"You know, I always seem to see you here," came a small voice from behind. Startled, he turned to see Obito, who was standing there with his arms crossed behind his head. With a small, inwards sigh, he motioned him to sit in the next stool.

Rubbing the back of his head, he ordered another bowl while the small Uchiha asked for one as well. "So...what brings you here?" Naruto asked, shoving the other thoughts out of his head right now.

"Nothing muuuuuuuuuuch," began Obito while separating his chopsticks in half with a little pop. "But...I have my EYES on you..."

Naruto slurped the last piece in his mouth, and ended with a gulp. In this sense, the smaller kid reminded him of his sensei: planning something 'underneath the underneath'.

[x]

The Namikaze, Uzumaki, and Jiraiya were all in front of the Sandaime and the council. It was agreed the night earlier that they would keep Minato's crazy suspicions about the blond teen secret, so they were here just to start the transfer of Hokage process. Minato couldn't believe he was actually going to become the protector of the village he loved most of all. It was a bit surreal as he stood here, getting the actual confirmation from the council members as well. They had agreed on him to be the best there could be, but the actual step-down of the Third Hokage wouldn't be until the war is officially over. With Iwa being afraid of him now, however, it seemed to be only a matter of days. Even the fighting had slowed down to only a few, small reports.

After the meeting, all three decided to go visit the park to pay debt to all those who had fallen. It had taken a few months for the whole war to end - far too long in the terms of shinobis on shinobis.

It would take only one week for the official statement of Iwa's and its allies surrender. The crushing defeat of earlier, the loss of the supply bridge to Grass, as well as the installed fear of the Yellow Flash had brought them to their knees. In the coming week, two big things were going to happen to him: he was going to becoming the Yondaime, and ask the woman of his life for her hand.

_Minato and Kushina Namikaze…_he thought on their way back towards his apartment.

[x]

To say that Konoha was in an uproar was doing some slight understating. It was something closer to chaos, but tame enough that order was still around. All in all, the Godaime Hokage was having one of _those_ days, and to top it off, news had just come in that Itachi had fallen to Sasuke, and the Uchiha had some new team. It was like an extra cup of good ol' stress.

It had started with that Rin woman. While trying to find her records, it ended up that the only 'Rin' was long since dead. However, before she could go after what could have been a spy, the ANBU had returned with her, along with a very distraught Kakashi, who had the nerve to sputter out that Obito was ALIVE and was running around Konoha. She could recall that name, how he died, but not much else. Then, **Sakura** bolted in, saying she saw Naruto in the village! Only then, the woman - Rin - had screamed out that that was impossible, due to how Naruto was currently with his mother, taking his nap.

Naturally, things got worse. Kakashi fainted. At first, it seemed perhaps by stress, but after he regained his sense of being, he looked around with a different appearance. Oh, he still carried the same air around him, except he was now **talking** to the **woman** as if they knew each other for many years, forgetting the fact that she was taking the alias of his dead teammate, mind you. She was about to send in the Investigation squad to find out what was happening between them when the villagers came in, saying they saw a ghost of the Yondaime walking around! Not only that, but the dead from the Sound attack years ago could be seen on the streets as well!

To check for herself, she left her building and decided to see this on her own. What she saw, she couldn't begin to fathom. There was a section of Konoha that had never existed before, she could swear that the Uchiha compound had lights on even though it was supposed to be abandoned, and...her head was missing from the mountain! That's when she saw Jiraiya, and he...Oh goodness, he was giving her a look that went from shock, to happiness, to more shock. He had the NERVE to go up to her and ask what she was doing in the place she would never return to.

She punched him, and now here she is, in the middle of her village, at a time where the world decided it was time to end.

His white hair was thrown over his face as he got up, muttering something about crazy, large-chested woman. "Tsunade, what was that for!" he screamed out. "I just came back with a report about the Akatsuki!" He dusted himself off and stood up, giving her an odd, serious look.

Her tan eyes hardened. "How do I know you are the real Jiraiya?" she began. "In case you have yet to notice, odd things have been happening here, including you! You acted as if I was never here!"

His face turned into a softer look. "I'm sorry, Tsunade...I just didn't know you returned back to Konoha after..." The black eyes opened wide, as if something clicked in his head. He stared at the floor, giving her impatience, but she decided to wait. Something was going on... "I had forgotten..." he muttered, then turned and saw the village. "Tsunade! I think something is happening to the general public! I'm forgetting what has happened these past years..."

She opened her eyes. _What!_ "Jiraiya, what do you mean?" she demanded.

He rubbed his eyes with his hand. "Naruto Uzumamein...Oh Kami...Oh Kami...! What Minato had said then was...But how? And now! Tsunade!" He ran forwards to her, and then pulled a report from his pocket. "I think...something MORE happened to Naruto than a simple disappearance act. I'm having memories that I never had, and they seem to be erasing my old ones!"

"WHAT!" the slug princess screamed out, before looking back towards the Tower. "Then that would mean that..." she whispered, thinking about Kakashi, Sakura, and that new woman, Rin. "That's impossible!" She had a feeling what Jiraiya was muttering about...but that couldn't exist! It couldn't HAPPEN!

"Do you believe time is stationary!" he began. "I don't think so anymore. I...KNOW now that Naruto somehow went back in time. I also think this is the latest in a chain of events because of that..." He was ranting, brought forth by high levels of adrenaline. She could tell due to his frantic pacing and his eyes.

It took a while, but she caught the hidden message. "You _were_ supposed to die, weren't you? Back then, with Pein..." Her golden hair blew in the wind a bit as he nodded, looking far older than he already did. "Then that 'blip' you thought you saw was no hallucination...That means..." She turned to face the village, which was sprawled below her in all its glory. Lots of bells and ribbons gently fluttered in the wind and their chimes hit her ears.

It was at that moment, the world shifted again. One minute, her face was back on that mountain, but then it disappeared again before finally coming back on it's spot. The extra extension to the village vanished as well, leaving a large opening of fresh, small saplings once again. The Uchiha compound's appearance was as ruined as it was supposed to be..."Jiraiya...?" she began, but then noticed he was on the other side of her.

"Oh, Tsunade! I didn't expect to see you here!" _What...? Didn't he say this earlier...? Oh my goodness... I think I know... But that's...Is it really? _He handed her the same papers he did earlier, except this time with a more serious face. "The Akatsuki still can't find Naruto, and I don't have a clue where he could be either."

She took the papers and clutched onto them tightly. If this was happening to Jiraiya, then the same could be happening to the other people who got affected by...whatever that was. As if what he had mentioned earlier was true - impossible as it could be! - then this wasn't localized. This was perhaps globally, except in some places more pronounced...like Konoha...

_Only four heads were there when this whole chaos began a little while ago... Did that mean that Sarutobi is/was still alive...? Or did that mean that Minato...Wait…why am I not getting affected by this?_

[x]

_Some people didn't like the first part of this chapter. Well, I decided to keep it nevertheless to keep up my word count ((cause I'm evil)), but you can be assured I'll attempt to not stick such a 'long 'n boring' monologue in the beginning. I thought it went nice, but apparently I'm not psychic. Ahahaha! XD_

_I was unsure on the series of events here, so I hope you'll let them slide. I was also iffy on Naruto's expression on 'Oh, Yondaime is daddy' thing. I didn't want it to be the same as others that have written more than me, nor did I want it to be unbelievable...so I made a time jump. You guys can think of what he thought before then and now. :D_

_P. S. Part One of Three is almost done. D:_


	16. Chapter 16

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Soft rain pelted the window in this middle of the day. It left its mark over everything, darkening and enriching colors into bright, vibrant things. Though the clouds still hung overhead, down below, the grass was turning just a touch greener and the flowers, more brilliant. Yet even as this rain was falling, the people whom traversed underneath were all getting ready for the next fore coming event. It was going to be a time of a new celebration; it was soon going to be the fall festival. Despite the water hitting their heads, one could see the people walk along and tie up ribbons and flags on balconies. Old temple bells that haven't been cleaned in a while were being shined with elbow grease. Amid this all, though, was one worried and pondering Naruto 'Uzumamein'.

He had done everything in a so-far-so-good-world-isn't-falling-down-on-me fashion. He had become friends with people that were actually his past. He had bothered his to-be teacher. He had befriended an Uchiha version of himself. He saw someone that could have been a Sakura of his day! And...he also got to knew his family: his real mother and father. All he really needed left was now Iruka, Tsunade, and for the hell of it, Ibiki 'n Anko, and it was going to be a JOLLY good show.

Yes, he was feeling rather sarcastic today. Naruto didn't really know why, but at least it wasn't as bad as it was earlier. Maybe it was something like a mood-swing, like Baa-chan... He smiled a bit upon her memory. How long has it been since he had seen her? Easily already a few months, almost a year (?). For the third time this day, his bright eyes trailed down towards the small piece of paper that had been the cause of many issues today. It was beautifully inked out with flawless strokes, all on rich, smooth paper.

It was the wedding invitation to Kushina's and Minato's Day of Celebration.

"Man, I can't believe that they are getting hitched already! Seems like yesterday we saw her as a substitute teacher, right!" spoke Obito as he was jamming food in his mouth. Naruto gave out a small groan. Looks like this conversation was going to go on again... (And at this rate, Obtio was going to take **everything** from the plates and leave him nothing!) They had taken refuge from the shower and had decided to have lunch. After all, the blond was treating everyone to a free meal, anyways.

"Dope," Kakashi began, though not as stern on that word as he used to be, "eat that fast and you'll choke yourself to death before your twenty." The silver haired child had ordered a regular plate of fish that was prepared with the freshest spices from the nearby farms. "Jokes aside, I wonder what this will mean for us. With Sensei now the Yondaime Hokage, he now will have less time for us. Being a Jounin-sensei and the leader of Konohagakure are two things that are bound to clash, especially with a new wife on top of that."

Even the brown haired girl had to sigh and nod with that agreement. "It doesn't really help that we are already drifting apart ourselves a bit. Kakashi is going to become promoted as a jounin, I'm going to go off to learn medical techniques; Obito's training with his clan... Only Naruto seems to be, still, doing nothing."

"Hey!" he complained a bit, looking at her with an arched eye.

Obito and Rin giggled in the background, but other than that the rest of the conversation went as normal as it could be. Naruto said his comments and thoughts when he could, and shared his own thoughts about the marriage that was to be. Still in his mind, however, were the implications of such things though. After marriage was the honeymoon. After the honeymoon was relaxation. After relaxation...Well, _that_ tended to be the subject of something that made Jiraiya be his usual self.

However, if he was to become...existing then, that would leave so little time to deal with the Kyuubi. Naruto kept up his musing as he played with his chopsticks in his bowl of beef ramen, sighing a bit. While doing so, he heard a cracking noise in the distance. Curious, he raised his head to see what it was.

"Ah!" Rin cried out, pointing towards his cup. "Naruto! Your glass broke! You know what that means, right!"

"Ugh...no?"

[x]

A sense of family was something that he had always craved for when he was a child. While he may not have received a real, genetic family, he had something else instead. Friends. Except now most of them were long gone, not yet alive. Thus, now he has new friends, except their worlds would be crashing down soon as well. He said he was going to stop the Kyuubi from rampaging around here, but HOW? So far, there was not a single peep of the demon, nor any signs of anything else, for that matter. Asking the thing in his stomach for any info? Pft. 'Oh, hey! Kyuubi! I want to learn how to stop you from doing what you do best! Oh, and 'cause of that I want to know your weakness!' Yes. That was a GREAT plan.

**It's moronic**, it grumbled a response in his mind. Naruto felt the shiver that always came out when _it_ talked to his inner mind. _Oh, what do you want. You only speak when you see fitting!_ **Just placing a Mortal back where it belongs: in wild fantasies of impossibility.** It was one of the few times the Kyuubi spoke to him on a whim, especially now. Huffing in disagree, he pushed the voice far back. There was now less than a year till his birthday!

"Stop fidgeting!" said Obito, who was seated next to him. "Hell, I know most marriages are boring, but it SENSEI'S." The black haired boy had misread Naruto's reaction, but that was ok. It brought him back to the 'now'.

Slightly farther ahead of him were the two people that were ready to give each other a kiss. Holding hands, they seemed so happy there, as if ignoring everyone else that had come to see the Hokage getting married. One would have thought that such an event would be made large, but it was actually kept on hushed tones. Minato had enemies, ones that would not take a second glance at killing his wife.

So, everyone close to the Namikaze was there, except for Tsunade, if she knew him. Naruto didn't know for sure wither or not they had met each other since the first words from Baa-chan's mouth about him were not exactly pleasing ones. The blond teen gave up thinking once again to pay attention to the vow exchanging. Though, it was rather weird to see two people wed if you knew they were your parents. REALLY weird. It was also unsettling, like the truth was being cemented in.

The whole ceremony was finally done, and Naruto stood up to go munch on those desserts, still wondering what to do. He had vowed - a _promise_ - to save himself or whatever child would be used as the vessel for the demon. If it wasn't for the fact there were people around, he would have smacked his face into the wall.

A watchful voice behind him startled Naruto a bit. "You know, if you're going to keep staring at the punch like that, it might just decide to get up and run away."

"EH!" he cried out, startled as he jumped up a few feet before meeting the face of Kushina Uzu-er...Namikaze. She laughed, giving a small smirk at him before picking up a piece of sweets. She then left to go face her new husband, walking...walking...walking... When Naruto shifted his eye sight to the husband and wife - both filled with extreme happiness, he was struck with a thought. What had happened to Kushina when he was born? He can never recall a woman named like that before, or that bright hair color... What if she had died...?

[x]

Days - no months - had passed since then, and the crowd was now getting ready for the first month of the New Year. It was currently the last week of December, and the chilly mornings were bringing everyone into the worst of modes. Well, at least those who had to go outside and train in the weather. Naruto was used to it, being for the fact he grew here most of his life, training outside in Konoha was nothing to it!

Except for today. The teenager was currently inside the library, shuffling through a mountain of books that seemed like they were NEVER going to end. Hell, each shelf towered high above him, and out of them all, only a few of them had the _possibility_ of having the information that he needed. For, you see, today marked the second week of cramming through these old scrolls and literature, trying to pry information about the bijous. About the old Great Shinobi Wars. About the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

As expected, he had yet to find anything. Oh, wouldn't Iruka be so **proud**?

Yawning, he threw a pile of useless scrolls back towards the shelf before picking up the next bunch. Already the librarian had warned him about making any damages on these pieces of works, but Naruto had assured that crazy woman that he was not going to endow and scratches of ANY sort. (So, every time he did rips and tears he would take some paste and glue them together!) In response, she allowed him to leave books in piles...as long as he placed them back in their organized spot before the place closed for the night!

It wasn't like it was fun... It was just something that had to be done. By interlocking his fingers, he stretched his back and continued. As the minutes tolled by, Naruto plopped his head on the casing of the scroll and moaned. "This is taking much longer than I thought, and is as annoying as hellllllllllllllllll..." His mind decided to wander and muse about what had happened towards Team Seven...

Rin was happily at the hospital, admiring everything dealing with the medical techniques. While she was having problems with learning the higher level stuff, she persevered onwards. The brown-haired girl wasn't the best, but she was better than some of the non-intensive care units, and wore those thoughts proudly! Occasionally, they would bump into each other here at the library 'cause of some errand or another. However, on the side, Naruto had spotted her training ninjutsu. She had taken her near capture all that time ago to the heart.

As for the Uchiha, Naruto had seen less of him. Team Seven was technically disbanded now, and a new one had taken the spot from the new graduates from the Academy. He had been training at his compound and had muttered something about having to now baby-sit for a pregnant aunt...or something like that. Though, he had come by to mention that he was working on his Sharingan and was eager to fight against Kakashi one day.

_Ah, Kakashi-sensei..._ the blond said in his mind. Following the rules was still something he did often, but the attitude was at least no longer like...a pain in the rear. He was gaining the ranks in jounin, but refused to claim any students. He threw himself on hard - but not suicidal - missions and was gaining a name for himself. It wasn't the 'Copy Ninja', however. It was 'The Silver Fang', named now after the sword that he had fixed upon breaking it earlier. Naruto still mused over how his sensei got his eye back in...the future, but it was looking as if he was never going to get it!

Minato was the Hokage. Couldn't say much about that.

So, the team was now broken. They hardly saw each other as a whole group except once a week, where they would all gather a lunch of ramen at Ichiraku's. Yet, those meetings were stilled filled with laughter and poking fun at each other, as well as explaining the comings and goings of their birthdays. Rin and Obito still continued their missions together, having a different third member every time. Kakashi still traveled solo, though it apparently wasn't rare for all three to have a higher ranking mission. Together, they could combat high Bs and _possibly_ a low A, but only upper Bs were given to them. Still, it was a far cry from the unison all had earlier...

"OI! NARUTO!"

"AHHHHH!" he cried out. He had nearly fallen asleep, and had slightly drooled over the jacked of the scroll as well! Wiping it away from his mouth, he smiled nervously as he turned his head to face whatever was talking to him. "Hehehe...hi, Kakashi."

The kid - though technically now a thirteen year old - nodded a bit, before pointing down at the object Naruto had used as a pillow only a few minutes prior. "I tried waking you up for a while now. I was walking in here and was wondering what you were doing after seeing you with this...pile."

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto only claimed that he was researching about rumors in the wars long ago about demons and stuff 'cause 'it sounded like a pretty odd subject, and since I have no team or anything, I had time to figure this out!' That's not to say that Naruto had nothing else to do! Every week, he would bother Jiji and ask for a new mission that he could do and get paid for. He needed food and a place to live, you know, as well as replace all his gears when they would wear out. He was in here for two weeks during a null...and that was kinda hurting his pocketbook a little bit.

"Well...you could always look at that one," Kakashi stated, pointing out at a book on the shelf that simply stated 'The Wars'. "That's on loan from Minato-sensei's personal new library." Which was now technically the Hokage Library, came the un-worded afterthoughts.

Naruto could swear he had pulled that one into his pile... "Nah, I already looked through it," he said, even though he knew he _hadn't_. But, what could it give that this MASSIVE heap wouldn't? Besides, there were still more to look through, and legends and folklore seemed the best way to start. "Wanna go out and eat some place?" Naruto added with a laugh. Kakashi agreed, and so they left. He was going to come back, anyways, and that old book seemed _far_ too old and useless of an object to search through.

The Kyuubi smiled. It had successful pulled its host's strings.

[x]

Near the far edge of the city of Konoha, close towards the Hokage Monument, Minato was taking a brisk walk. It was getting chilly outside, and only a few hundred miles north or so, there was sayings that frost would hit those crops. Good thing he had made certain that their grains were in secure places. However, most farmers in that region knew that winter's grip loved to play with growth, so odds were that they were getting fires going near their plants. He wouldn't find out if food turns bad until tomorrow, at the earliest.

Being Hokage meant more than he expected: it was a _thrill_ to help everyone out. He could now lay a hand to those who were suffering through the war and give aid in more ways than he previously thought. New plans of Konoha rested inside his brain, and the Namikaze continuously thought about how to make things better for everyone. Often, his wife would tease him and state that he loved the village 'almost as you love me'. She would finish it with one of those special laughs that would make him smile back; a warm, fuzzy glow.

Of course, being Hokage wasn't all easy. No, there were also the troubles that came upon it. The knowledge that anything done wrong that could seem a provoke on a neighboring country could start another war. The truth that he was now a bigger target than even before. The adult man had to admit that people would be drawn to him like honey, and the people who desire to hurt him even more so. Kushina loudly exclaimed that she could take very good care of herself, and he believed her. Still, he couldn't help but worry. Family was another thing he placed high upon his precious things list...

He stared high above, where he saw his breath crystallize into fog for a few seconds. A small thought hovered around his mind. The war was now over, and all sides were recovering, but a small village had been discovered to be burned away. Reports from an ANBU scout team, on their way back from checking the region south of Fire Country, had spotted the town. On the sheets of paper gave detailed information about what they saw, smelled; everything. According to them, the town was simply charred away. "Possibly, a thunderstorm caught a home on fire and it spread," read a line. If felt...wrong. However, maps had conformed that that part of Konoha was a region where no one lived, and that small town was already abandoned ten years ago or so. Still... something so small shouldn't be **bothering** him this much!

On his return trip back, he passed by a few people who were looking at him with a weird expression. Tilting his head a bit, allowing the locks on the side of his head to fall, he smiled and gave a little wave before continuing onwards. His white cloak with flame tips trailing behind him as he finally reached the Hokage Tower. He had to make sure that everything was done for that evening, as Kushina had stated something about fixing him up a nice dinner, and he was _really_ looking forward to that. His wife's cooking was great.

His new house was bought by pitching in with Kushina. It wasn't large, but it was humble, resting on the west side of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It had a small koi pool, as well as a nice yard and a few trees. Conveniently, it was also near a few training grounds for the both of them to train when they were really bored. Kushina was no housewife! Though, she didn't mind cooking, as long as he did his share every other day as well. Frankly, that was alright with him.

[x]

Night had fallen, and Naurto was busy hanging out with the whole gang. They were currently stuffing themselves at a ramen race. Or rather...Obito and he were as Kakashi and Rin were both looking with disgust. Hey! It wasn't often that he entered these competitions, and the loser had to pay. No way in hell he was going to pay for this tab!

Naturally...he lost. He KNEW he shouldn't have eaten such a large lunch. Sighing, he forked over the ryuu towards the owner of the stand, his head hanging down. "I can't believe you defeated me, Obito." He turned his head up, only to see Kakashi snickering at something and Rin sighing, with the black haired Uchiha nowhere to be seen. "Hey! Where did he go?"

"He ate too fast and too much," muttered Kakashi, who was eating a small treaticle that he had bought earlier the day.

Rin sighed, flicking her hand left and right. "Obito is probably pucking up his ramen-o-rama in the back of the alley about now..."

"That's a good waste of ramen!" cried out Naruto, making all three of the onlookers facepalm on the wooden booth they were eating on. "Hehehe..." the teen continued, rubbing the back of his head a little bit. "Well, today was a great day. It was _awesome_ to see everyone together like this again! We should really do this more often though..."

Kakashi seemed to frown underneath the mask that he wore, and then played around with a pair of chopsticks. "It is because you believe that we are all splitting apart, right? Well, I'm afraid I don't have much to say about that, but maybe... Maybe if they think I am qualified enough I could have you three as my Chuunins and be your Jounin-sensei," he added with a snicker.

"You! Our sensei!" bawled Obito, who was now back, looking a bit pale. "You couldn't be a teacher even if your life depended on it. I can see it now!" The black haired child wiggled his fingers, as if he was making a genjutsu in front of him that everyone could see. "You would tell them that the rules meant everything...and then kick their rear-ends so badly you couldn't be their teacher, disobeying the rules. THEN, their crying mommies would run towards Minato-sensei and have him demote you into a Chuunin! FINALLY, _**I**_, the Great Obito, will be made Jounin and become YOUR teacher! Ahaha-hic!"

"Nice going, Obito," muttered Rin a bit before passing him a napkin. "You went from pucking to hiccupping. Sometimes, boys will never seem to fail to amaze me... Anyways, Kakashi! What are you going to do tomorrow?"

Naruto noticed the kid take a look, before nodding his head a bit. "I will be helping Naruto do some research and the library for bijuus and-"

"Eh!" the teen cried out. He didn't expect Kakashi to offer anything like that! "Wha-whadda mean!"

Rin and Obito nodded, but the Uchicha spoke up. "Cool! I - hic - think we should help out as well! I don't - hic - have any missions tomorrow, and neither - hic - does Rin! Right, Rin?"

She shook her brown hair, putting her hand underneath her chin. "Nope. Besides," she added with a glint in her eye, "bijous sound interesting! And if all else fails, I can still look at some medical scrolls!"

Naruto couldn't help stop from feeling nervous. "Guys..." Of course, he was outnumbered. Looks like tomorrow he was going to go to the library with a crowd.

[x]

_GAH. NARUTO'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO WRITE! -angry face-_


	17. Chapter 17

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

That night was a cold one. For the first time in many years, white speckles fell from the sky and caressed the ground below. Like small doves getting ready to explore the world around them, the small flakes nestled in every breech of sky. The stars couldn't be seen from their resting places, but that didn't matter that night. No, the snow that was falling made the world seem pristine once again. It covered all traces of holes in the countryside that was ravaged by war, and it brought out the children from within their homes to see this wondrous spectacle.

Like a series of angels they came out from their brightly lit living spaces. Some were prepared for the sight, wearing mountains of clothing and their warmest gears all around them. Others were so stunned when they were awakened by the cries of pleasure that they just stood there, gaping in the whiteness all around them. It surely was a miracle night for everyone.

Yet, Tsunade wasn't happy, or excited. She had the world's most splitting headache and was running high on debts that she had to pay. The first month of the year tended to make these money-grubbers think that it was Slug Hunting Season. So, naturally, she ignored the falling snow that scurried by her window and the laughing youngsters outside. She was currently inside an inn in the nice little town. It was one of her new favorite places to hang out on the way towards Iwa for spring gambling. If Iwa did anything right, it was having high stakes casinos.

What is gambling? To her, it was her escape. It was her way to remove from the world into a land of neon lights and bright colors: a land where her greatest woes were running from reality, and never confronting them. The small child she was traveling with, however, was a part of her life she could never throw away. At least, she was teaching the next star pupil in a land where only the foolish decided to get hurt. Them and all their 'shinobis'. Those foolish, destructive people who place 'honor' and 'dignity' on one side, but then run ahead and die young 'in the name of their village' on the other.

These headaches, however, were pounding on her body, bringing memories of strange silhouettes she knew she had never seen before. Strange sounds and voices hovered over her conscious, trying to make her remember something she couldn't recall. Some memories were euphoric; some made her just want to cry. Yet none of them made any sense and never had happened before in her life. Memories of a 'Baa-chan' and something '-age'...

"Tsunade-sama..." came the tiny voice of the small, black haired child. She was wearing a simple dark grey kimono, all tied with a cream-colored sash. "It's _snowing_, and..."

The blonde hair woman shooed away the child. Her headache was returning once more, and she brought forth a cup of sake to dull the rushing pain. She knew it was not as healthy as herbal medication, but it did something that only drugs could do: send her into a place far away where nothing much would matter. Drugs were illegal and dangerous, but sake could be easily bought from the local store, eating up money that could be used on repaying others. It didn't help much. The migraine seemed like her vessels in her head were just pulsing, expanding and contracting. Tsunade slightly moaned as she plopped onto the couch. Maybe in the morning she would feel better.

[x]

It was cold that morning. The elder woman grunted as she turned around, pulling a blanket around her shoulders that someone had left there for her. The sun, however, decided to pierce into her eyelids, and she fluttered open and grudgingly stood up. It took a while for her eyes to get adjusted to the light, as well as get the taste of something sweet out of her mouth. It almost seemed like she had a hangover, which was impossible as she didn't drink anything last night - nor in a week's time. _I must have fallen sleep on the desk again_, Tsunade thought.

The scenery surprised her.

There were no scrolls lying about, and not a single leaflet. Nor a single giant window showing the Hokage Monument that should be just a few feet away. Instead, it seemed like the interior of an inn, and a shanty one at that. The air seemed different as well; perhaps with more of a pine-y smell than the large oaks and other trees that surrounded Konoha. Alarmed, she jumped up off the blue, worn couch and rushed towards the closed shutters and threw them open.

The land around her was covered in white. Not a single monument of any sort could be seen from her line of sight, but tall, rugged mountains were in the far distance. The scenery below her was also one of a quaint village; not a sprawling metropolis. She took a deep gasp as she recognized this town, but...she hadn't been here for YEARS!

So, when the door opened behind her, she was about to use her strength to attack whoever it could have been. It was fortunate that her eyesight caught the small figure of a little girl before she had launched through the room to pound a possible enemy into a rice cake. Yet, the figure brought her even into more shock. "Shi...SHIZUNE!" she cried out. Why, the woman now looked like a _**twelve**_ year old!

"Tsunade-sama...what is it? You look very frightened! Calm down! It's just me!" The girl ran up to her and gave her a large hug. "It's ok...it's ok...It was just a nightmare...It wasn't true... I'm here and everything is ok..."

Oh, but all of this was very true...and oh, so very confusing. Her eyes darted from one part of the room towards the next; making the small child think she was crazy. Well, it was a lie saying she wasn't feeling crazy right now! The Godaime could feel her heart racing faster and her head begin to pound once again. With a large rush, she grabbed her bags and tore down the door that leads towards the hallway. "Tsunade-sama! Where are you going!" cried out Shizune in the distance.

"This cannot be HAPPENING!" was all the blonde woman stated before leaving the inn, making the owners wonder what could have upset the young woman so.

[x]

The lights were hurting all of their eyes, as was the tiny print that they had to read from the books. Kakashi sighed as he pulled one book apart from the others and began to sort through them. He knew something more than a simple 'research project' was behind all of this, but Naruto wasn't speaking up as to the exact reason why. It was why he decided to help. That, and he was getting bored. Still, all these books were getting on everyone's nerves.

Obito sighed as he stretched his arms, falling into a pile of books that he had thrown behind him. "Muwaaaaa..." he yawned out. "Gesh, Naruto, why do you wanna look through all this junk?" This was coming from the kid that was eager to help out only earlier. Good thing they were hidden from the librarian, otherwise she would have warned them all. The silver haired child could only pick up a lesser end book and hurl it at the 'dobe'. "Oww..."

The Hatake turned his head over towards Naruto, who, for some reason, was avoiding some of the books and scrolls that seemed the most promising. That wasn't to say he was doing nothing, though. Piles and piles of old stories, brought from the days of a young Konoha, rested all around him. Apparently he had only 1/3rd left to go before he will finish this pile. But the drive was something that Kakashi thought was something closer to fervor. Not one that means from a simple curiosity, but it was the same face that Minato-sensei had when he was determined to save someone or something. This had greatly picked up his interest.

He sighed a little bit as he turned to face the window, watching the birds fly past on their ways towards their nests that lie in different part of the land. With all the chaos and turmoil of the past year now far behind them, peace seemed to once return. Deep down inside, he had secretly feared that they would all split apart, though now it was apparently that seemed not to be their fate as of yet.

"Hey, Kakashi! Look at this cool scroll! It's from Sensei's library!" cried out Rin in the background, breaking the young Kakashi away from his ponderings. His silver hair slightly wafted in the moving air as he jumped towards the upper shelves where the girl had situated herself. She was nestled between a desk and a large rack of scrolls, but most importantly was the large thing she was holding. _Hey, that's the one I offered Naruto to look at earlier,_ he mused for a while. Eagerly, Rin pointing at the gilded wording. "See, this one looks FAR more promising than anything we were looking at earlier! I briefly glanced through it, but some of the kanji is rather archaic and not in much use anymore. Kinda like the same symbols used for sealing stuff, but a little less chaotic."

Kakshi let out a small breath of air while mentally rolling his eyes. "There isn't much difficulty in sealing, Rin," he slightly rebuttled. Of course, how was he to know that the more fine-tune pieces of the Arts were even beyond HIS league? "Here, let me take a look at it."

Together, they unrolled the contents and began to read them. It began pretty much like any historical novel - the simple title _The Wars_ making that pretty obvious - with dates, times, and the amount of intelligence. It was old, outdated stuff that seemed to have nothing over the past war, but then again, a Hokage wouldn't let a scroll with important information about recent wars just lie willy-nilly on a library shelf. _'Willy-nilly'? I __**have**__ been hanging around with Naruto and Obito for far too long..._ Hours passed as they both read in silence. He had to admit that Rin seemed actually interested in these old words.

It was the same words that seemed to slightly irk him.

The First Great Shinobi War was when there were only a certain number of villages, and no great nation. It was the making of nations that created this, or so the document stated. The first war was something that didn't bother him; it was the second. Where the words of the White Fang could be seen on almost every other paragraph. The man's deeds, the man's works; his _father's_ ultimate sin.

He grabbed the scroll and wound it tightly before his female teammate/partner could reach those words. He stayed silent as she faced him with those large, questioning eyes. "I'll research the rest from here on. After all, you did more than half of the parchment already. You should...gather information from Naruto's group. It seems to not be getting any smaller." He heard her grumble a bit, but she did move.

"Uh...can't feel by buttocks..."

Once assured of her passing, he turned back to face those dark inked words. They no longer brought the deep pain to his heart like they used to, but he did not want any of them to know this certain part of history. He wisely skipped that section and progressed towards where the notes of battle picked up once again.

_...lies a Holy Kettle, or so the people of Suna state. It was decked in a shrine, where they said a priest had just recently saved all of the land while using his soul to contain a demon within it. Yet, not all of the stories lie up. There were a few reports brought in from our spies about this Holy Artifact. If it is indeed a demon, we must be aware of a possible break, which could render many dead and Suna a new weapon. The most unnerving of all the reports were the ones copied below:_

_An Excert From The Report: o1cA_

_"Night - So much had happened since the last entry. We successfully stormed a side of the wall, suffering a few casualties, but nothing if we had gone through the original plan. Those who were brought down had fallen because I could do nothing, sadly. We raced on, heading towards the Kazekage's Tower and split into thirds. My section arrived safely and awaited the next. They arrived without tardiness; however, the third was late. After ten minutes, we grew worried that the enemy had discovered us. I told the others to go on ahead - IF they were planning on going on with a third of the force missing - without me as I had to see where the others were. Carefully, I made my way around the small, rounded buildings. I can remember the wind getting louder and louder, blowing harder, as the full moon rose from behind the clouds. It was right then, as the light spilled into the street, that I saw my fellow shinobi resting in heaps, all covered with sand..."_

The rest explained some information about what buildings were nearby, but it was to check if there were any enemy nin hiding from within. Never had there been any notice of a ninja using the powers of sand for attacks. Though Suna was known for its vast deserts, the ninja were either puppeteers or wind-affiliated in a general sense. (There were other types, naturally, but that's why it was called a 'generalization'.) He jumped down towards the floor level where Naruto was, deciding that this was good information to tell. After all, he WAS looking for this kind.

"Shukaku..." commented the blonde. He stared at it for a little while, but then shook his head. "This is good, Kakashi, but it's not exactly what I am looking for. I'm looking for..." Naruto paused for a few moments, spacing out a bit before shaking his head. "I'm looking for information about the Kyuubi..."

[x]

It was eventually night fall. Everyone waved their goodbyes, and Naruto had stated that he was going to go back there tomorrow. Personally, Kakashi couldn't see what was up with his drive, but maybe he never would. His fingers trailed over where the scroll was neatly hidden in his pocket. Naruto was adamant on not taking it with him for some odd reason. So, the silver haired had taken up the task of looking at the last pieces when he had some free time. It wasn't all that was on loan from the Hokage Tower, just this was the only one that seemed most promising. But why the Kyuubi, and not just any other types of the fabled demons? Why the worst one of the bunch?

In time he entered his apartment and threw open the door, sighing as he plopped his body onto his bed. There, he wanted to rest before tomorrow, when he was going to go back into training. Being the one of the youngest jounin ever, he wanted to make sure that he was as good - no, better - than his fellows to prove that he wasn't just a 'tiny, little, cute kid'.

The night seemed to pass, slowly, as the child's body slept. Hours ticked by. Then, around two in the morning, Kakashi jumped out of bed, staring at the paper object that rested near the foot of the bed. _I thought I heard something...!_ He saw a shadow move near the door, and the Hatake arched forwards, grabbing a wad of hair and tugging hard before slamming the figure into the floor.

"THE _HELL_! OBITO! WHAT THE _FUCK _ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM!"

The lights in his room blazed as the rays found their target once the silver haired kid turned on the lamps. The ex-shadowed figure was currently crying out in pain, rubbing his head from nearly loosing half of it. "WELL!"

"I...I," the Uchiha cried out before standing up and pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi. "I wanted to find some proof that Naruto is hiding stuff! I mean, COME ON! He's-"

Kakashi rubbed his eyes with his un-gloved hands and glared. "Dobe...if this is one of your 'he's from the future and other such crap' theories, I swear...I'm going to stuff this sock down your throat." To emphasis the threat, he pulled out the one he was wearing on his feet that was supposed to keep his toes warm during the night. "And trust me; you don't even **want** to know where this has been through before."

"No! No! This time I got some GREAT stuff! I mean, like...ARG! You just HAVE to believe me! And this scroll could give me some wrap up proof and intel!"

"This is becoming some kind of very sick obsession..." muttered the jounin.

Yet, Obito just wouldn't have it. In fact, the young kid grabbed a piece of paper out of his pocket and shoved it into Kakashi's hand for all it was worth. "Here. Just LOOK at it. If _this_ doesn't make you start to even just believe me a **little** bit, you should be the one whom we call 'dobe'!"

He glared, but decided it might be better if he did as requested… and _then _kick Obito out... Preferably towards the moon. His black eyes trailed the words, which were written vertically, with the words 'Naruto's Seal' written on it. Scribbles of words such as 'jinchuuriki' and 'Kyuubi' were written on it, as well as some impossible to decipher wordings. At the very bottom was a very odd ensigma...in fact... if he didn't know any better. "This is..."

"An eight pronged seal to do stuff, right!"

"What the hell is this?"

With that comment, Obito did a small smirk. "That, my dear friend, is something I stole from Jiraiya. It wasn't easy, let me tell you that, but man, when he gets drunk, MAN does he get drunk. Mr. Sensei Clone apparently has this on him somewhere, and apparently it's some kind of suppression seal. I showed the bottom part to my cousin Itachi, and boy did he wig out when he saw the designs. Don't worry, I only showed him the bottom and left the names and notes hidden. He managed to blurt out it was a containment of some sort before I had to leave 'cause he gave me that 'you-know-something' face. But, that led me to begin thinking," continued the raven haired kid. He placed his hand underneath his chin and then began to pace around the room, with a serious look on his face. "Since Naruto is from the future, that would mean that this seal thingy never happened. And if it never happened, using my data gathered from these notes, then the demon Kyuubi would still be around. And if the demon was still around and had to be sealed away, that would mean that something had to happen that made someone do some serioussssssss kind of drastic measure. Now, isn't just a _tinsy_ bit suspicious that, out of the blue, Naruto decides to do some research about this thing?" The Uchiha's face did a complete 180, making him seem ten years older than he really was. "Placing two and two together, I think that Naruto is trying to do this 'research' 'cause he knows something's about to happen with the Kyuubi, and possibly himself. Hell, I'm seventy-five percent positive that it is sealed inside of Naruto. Also, remember the words he stated long ago? 'Prevent Konoha from being attacked again' or something like that? I think...that Konoha might be attacked by this Kyuubi and he's trying to stop it."

"So why did you have to go into MY room at TWO in the morning!" Kakashi argued. He was tired, he was sleepy, and none of this was really making feel any better. (But there WAS that small part that was getting intrigued by the story...) "That story doesn't make any sense to your actions!"

"'Cause I knew you were never going to give this scroll to me, so I kinda...decided I was going to steal it?" he said with a nervous mutter. "But really, Kakashi, this is _serious_. I think Naruto's trying to save us - the past - from that monster. He was exceptionally silent in the coming of Minato-sensei's wedding, watching them both. His last name is self proclaimed 'Uzumamein', but I think it was a cover-up for 'Uzumaki' or 'Namikaze'. He has the same eyes, face, hair, etc. of Minato-sensei!" (Now, Kakashi was feeling slightly nervous, deep in his conscious...) "If he thinks he's going to do it alone, he's wrong. This scroll could have information hidden away that might help stop the monster from attacking..."

"It's a history scroll..." came a responsive growl.

Silence. "It's...uh...not a demon-researching scroll?"

"No."

"...Ah."

"...Obito..."

"Well! Er..!" The kid stammered, before turning away with an embarrassed look on his face. "The proof is STILL there! And if no one else is going to help Naruto, I most certainly am! To disobey the rules is shameful, but to not help out a fellow teammate is MORE SO!"

With that, Obito left, leaving Kakashi to wonder.

[x]

_Ok, guys, SERIOUSLY, I love you all so much! I was utterly amazed when I first saw my hits: so much so that I thought it was a mistake! -gives everyone cookies and hot chocolate- From different parts of the world as well. I'm in awe..._

_As for this chapter, I'm afraid I found this one boring after the first two parts... -shifty eyes- For some reason I was like 'no, this isn't good...RAWR, this needs more text. EWW, this is bad.. :( LAWL, Obito is win'. -laughs- Ah, Obito…_

_-evil smile- REVIEW PLOX! -brick'd-_


	18. Chapter 18

※ _回想記の夢 ・ __A Memoir of a Dream ※_

_by: Fehize_

[x]

Colors flashed. Birds cried out as they flew away from their havens, nestled in the emerald leaves. A branch fell down as the shockwave from was too much for the organic object. With a small 'cry', the chocolate bark burst open and then disappeared in a whirl of blue. High above, the insects jumped off and fled, for they did not desire to run into the same fate as their once home.

A tanned hand could be seen gripping the sphere, and just as fast as the calamity had come, so did it end. His spiky blond hair sway as the man's face arched upwards, looking towards the now-diminishing sun. With the smallest of pause, this man brought his hand down and then stood up, surveying what he had done with his cerulean eyes. His white cloak billowed in the wind, with the five kanji characters moving as if they were alive. "Still not right," he sighed as he gave the tree a pat. "It always fail when I try to add Wind chakra."

A voice peeped up behind him. "Well, I'm sure you can find it out anyways! And if it makes you feel any better, the oak wasn't damaged to the point of destruction. Those birds will be back."

"Kushina...destroying the tree - and then some - was the intended thing."

"Then those poor, poor birds. Getting picked on by a mean, scary, blond, skinny monster."

It was evening, and almost the end of his training session. He brought up his hand and then chuckled a bit, addressing the woman in front of him. "Alright. Next time, this monster will work in some place else with more boulders." So, with that comment, his wife jumped out of the clearing; her bright red hair looking like a shimmering sauce... _**Sauce?**_ he mused, slightly._ I guess I am more hungry than I thought I was..._ Now, normally the Namikaze would go with his wife back home after training, but he had told her that tonight he had something crucial come up at the office.

By all means, it was the truth.

With just a mere thought, he made his body warp right into his office. There were many times that Kushina had stated that he was 'one of the most laziest person she had ever seen' because of his abuse of the Hiraishin. The usual rebuttal was a simple 'practice'. Upon entering his office, he pulled open a scroll that had been sitting there since yesterday afternoon. It was the reports from the borders of the Land of Fire, and nestled deep within it was the line that stated that one of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade, had been spotted with a small girl. However, she was traveling on roads that led _towards_ Konoha, rather than being in a direction away from the village. That contracted everything he had heard about her from his sensei. He had sent a dispatch over towards Jiraiya, as he was still in the village as well, about her apparent arrival.

Next, he brought out today's report, which had stated that she should be upon the village's doors tonight, given her 'brisk, fast pace.' The woman had also apparently noticed one of the patrolling ninjas and told them to send a massage: 'I'm visiting the Hokage once I reach Konoha. He better be there.'

"When you said that she was coming back, I didn't believe you, even though I really wanted to..." Jiraiya's voice seemed heavy, almost nostalgic. In true sensei fashion, he appeared in a white smoked teleportation jutsu right behind Minato. "I...wonder what she is going to say," the elder man mused. "My spy network says she should be hitting this building within a few minutes... I wanted to reach out to her then but..."

The adult man stopped his teacher from continuing. "Sensei... I know this is rather confusing, but you did the right thing. Jumping right in front of her, like you did to me right now, will likely not result in favorable occurrences." The air was still tense, as it should be. How does one truly act when a legendary warrior, like the Slug Princess, returns only a few years after claiming never to come back to the poison of this village? Why a change of heart...?

Time and Fate loved to mess with musing Hokages, it seemed, for it was at that moment that the doors blew right open. Standing right in front of them both was a woman whose eyes seemed far too old for her mere age of near the upper thirties. Her long twin ponytails draped towards the left and right of her, and her green smock was all tied up. Her gaze was intense, especially since it seemed she was searching the whole room for something.

The Toad Sage managed to choke a bit before standing normally, but his eyes were filled with the words not spoken, 'I can't believe that you are back.' Minato could tell that he still loved her, even though it was widely known that one of the reasons why Tsunade had left was due to the loss of love. The small child was right next to her - a person whom the Hokage did not know the name of - with an awkward look upon her face, as if she didn't know why there were there to begin with. Slowly, though, the first words came from Minato, uneasy and unsure of what to say. "Hello, Tsunade," he began, gesturing her to come towards him and stand in front of the desk.

It was wierd to see her like the way she was, with her hair messy and loose, as if she had just ran a marathon from one nation towards the next. When the report said 'brisk and fast-paced', it was more than likely an understatement... He wanted to make some form of small welcome speech, but she cut in, her eyes still wandering around.

"Minato. Namikaze," she began, stating each word with something like... conviction? She brought her hand towards her chest, continuing. "The Hokage...?"

Jiraiya was also just as confused as the golden haired man was, and it was well written on his face. "Tsunade... you finally came back after all these years..." The emotional rollercoaster that man was facing must have been something else. The closest Minato could think was of the day when Kushina had agreed to be his wife.

There was some more still silence between them, when the woman faced the windows, which showed all four of the Hokages that had ruled over Konoha. After moments of silence, one again, broken only by the sounds of the evening birds returning back home, the woman spoke up. "Where is the brat?"

If anything, it made the Toad Sage loose his internal balance. Here was a woman that was his _teammate_-!

Thus, the Hokage asked, "Brat? What are you talking about, Tsu-"

She suddenly became enraged with emotions, and slammed her fist into the wall at blaring speeds, nearly breaking the wooden face and smashing in all of the crown molding that was running through it at waist-length. "Naruto, for the love of Kami, Minato. _**NARUTO**_."

His sensei blinked for a few moments. "Uzumamein? THAT Naruto?"

A visual weight could be seen lifted from her body, and as a ninja, it was rather apparent. But the question was, why did she suddenly look like as if she received the best news in the world? "Naruto's here... He's... ALIVE!" It was a statement of joy, happiness, something almost akin to pure mother-like bliss.

It was also very confusing.

Even the small child looked confused, looking at the Slug Princess as if she was a completely person. As a matter of fact, Minato was almost SURE it was. The only part preventing him from automatically assuming that it was an imposter was the simple fact that the woman had ran her fist into the wall, doing something she was entirely famous for when she was around the village. "You know Naruto? But he was only in the village for..."

She wouldn't let him finish. Bringing her hand down upon the dark colored desk, her yellow bangs covering her face, she turned to face him. "Where is he?" she said sternly. _A mother protecting her young...?_ was the unbidden thought. But, but, but... This made his whole thought of Naruto from a different time.. invalid?

"What is going on here!"

Tsunade wouldn't have. In a stutter, Jiraiya mentioned a little hotel room the teenager had rented out, but how was it possible for those two to know each other? And, and-!

Bringing an end to one of the craziest conversations he had ever had inside his office - possible the most outlandish in all of Konoha history - she turned around, grabbing the black haired child and began to walk off. "I'll find him even if I have to physically overturn every room in that place!" As the door slammed behind her, Minato knew (as did his sensei) that they should follow her.

It was the only way to get the answers to the questions that they both desperatly wanted.

[x]

Naruto sighed. The darkness was filling in his room, covering his features with shadows. Already, he had turned off the lights, even though evening was still in its early robes. It had been a rather long and tiring few days. Hell, even weeks. With the passing of each day, he was getting more antsy. And today! What a day. Obito kept hounding him over why Kyuubi, and even **Kakashi** was starting to prod.

Upon his head was a little cow hat, similar to the one he used to have long ago. He had found it from a child's tailor, and just meekly asked it to be made in his head form. The manager of the store agreed, as well as chuckled a bit, talking about how some shinobi never out-grew their younger sides.

He glanced up towards his calendar, and marked away the date : January 5th. Ten more months. Just ten.

The teen sighed, punching his pillow. "I really gotta stop thinking this way," he muttered, slamming his face where the punch mark was. On any other normal day, this would have been that, and away towards Slumberland he would have gone.

Oh no, not tonight.

BOOM! CRASH! Wood and ornate paper began to fall like snow! Before he would really get up and turn around, there was an immense force behind him, squeezing him! Squeezing him! SQUEEZING HIM!

"NARUTO! YOU'RE ALIVE! It's really YOU!" came out cried sobs.

Wait. He had heard that voice before... As his lungs were more than sure being brought into pea sized sacks, he arched his head upwards, struggling against the sheer power behind the embrace. "Ba-a-chan?" he managed to croak out. Old Lady was here too? She _remembered_ him! "Baa-chan!" he cried again.

"I was so worried! I had sent all of Konoha out after you, to hell with the consequences! And then they reported nothing, except the news that the Akatsuki was seen! They had thought the worst! They thought you had died! Only a few could feel that you were alive!" Tears splattered on his face, and he could faintly hear the noises of other people coming up from behind. "Oh... I missed you..." Her hands grasped the necklace that she had given him years ago, and he could see her smile. "And you still have this..."

For once, Naruto was at loss to words. It was almost dreamlike, how the Godaime had managed to get here where he was, in a past time. He had thought maybe it was just him...

"Tsunade! What is going on here!"

"_**Pervy-Sage!**_" he screamed, looking up. For a brief second, he had thought that even he was remembering. Except the older man wasn't, and had a blank expression. It was then that the future son of the Namikaze noticed his father there, as well as a small platoon of ANBU who wanted to know what was the commotion. (As it was, after all, not every day that a woman was able to enter a Hokage's room and explode things with her fists.)

Oh! The commotion! The chattering of words! It seemed like a maelstrom of phrases being tossed left and right. Everything from security threat to possible mental breakdown was being judged over Baa-chan, and it was apparent that she wasn't listening to it. She didn't really seem to care what they were saying. So like Tsunade, Naruto guessed.

When Minato had raised his hand and commanded silence so they could talk things through; that was when Naruto could begin to process more clearly.

Did this mean that, in a very lame way of talking, the neko was out of the bag?

Things were already settling down when all five of them went back towards the Hokage Tower; Naruto dreading to go there for the first time. How would this conversation go...? _Well, it'll go as bad, and as good, as I LET it,_ he thought with determination. All of the faces in the room had stern looks, but it was mainly due to the suspense of it all. Or at least, that is what the Uzumaki thought.

It was going to be a long, and tiring night.

[x]

_Man! I wonder what this all means? DUNDUNDUNNnnnnn...!_


	19. Chapter 19

※ _回想記の夢__・__ A Memoir of a Dream _※  
_by: Fehize_

[x]

Have you ever been squeezed so much that your lungs have turned small due to the lack of air? Have you ever felt your arms being shut together in a vice grip that not even pincers from animals could possibly compete against? Have the voice of someone other than you scream your name out in a cry of lost and found? The prodigal son returning? Well, in this case, it was not the reoccurring existence of a 'son', per say.

But the Godaime could beg to differ.

The night sky was rather pretty, showing the twinkling array of specks high above the Hokage Mountain. There was a sense of bitterness in the air - not from the people within the Hidden Leaf Village, but rather from nippiness of the onset of the coldest month of the year. The moon, even, was hanging - suspended high above with not even the slightest sign of wisps of clouds. It made for a quaint picture, one that civilian artists would love to look at and recreate. It was a fitting end for a day filled with nothing but joy to the elder woman.

Well, she couldn't exactly say she was older - yes, she was one of the eldest in the room, but she was sixteen years younger than her memory would combat.

A little less than fourteen of those were filled with nothing but endless gambling, drinking, and the occasional healing of others with jutsu to reclaim funds. A life endlessly spiraling - a life without much, the exception being Shizune, but even she was now back to the age of the beginning. Or close enough. Still level headed as always.

But then... she glanced back down towards that ball of hyperactivity. Naruto. In some senses, he was a 'replacement' to Nawaki and Dan, but he was also a large entity all on his own. His blonde hair was longer than she remembered, and his blue eyes bluer. Smiling happily, she still brought more hugs, except this time letting the poor boy breath.

Minato, however, was almost all business. His eyes were darting between them both - not for suspecting of a spy, but rather something else. Similar, but with different thoughts, was the other member of the Sannin, who had regained some of his mental state. A part of her chastised: of course he would be more than just surprised. To his eyes, not just - what? Two years? More? - a few moments ago she had packed up, 'never to return'.

The current Hokage folded his arms. "So, there is no beating around the bush. Despite my lack of personal acquaintance with you, I am positive that this seems out of character. Considering that Jiraiya and I are who we are, it can also be assumed that you are no imitator. Therefore, answers must be given." The tone got more firm, almost the complete opposite of Naruto - but this was a _very_ serious topic. "I am not saying this as a friend, I am saying this as a Hokage."

"Minato..." came a cautionary whisper from the white-haired man.

"No. This has gone on long enough!" Naruto flinched, even though he was still in a protective embrace, at the Yondaime's words. Tsunade frowned. Consequences be damned? Yes. Would it make for a diplomatic entrance? No.

The Slug Princess didn't care.

With a finger shove, he aimed at the both of them. "I have reasons to believe - no. Not _reasons_, actions, that something is amiss here. I have had my suspicions, long and hard, and have conversed this with Sensei, but you as well, Tsunade? How do you know Uzumamein? Also, how could it be feasible he know YOU?"

Shizune fidgeted, trying to un-wrinkle her flawless outfit. "I... I have the same questions, Hokage-sama..."

Tsunade had half a mind to snap back, if just for a moment, that she knew him more than his own father did! However, she didn't. Emotions were running paramount within her, making her actions and words become more like daggers and sweet-nothings - depending on her target. She did, however, have the galls to ward it off, if only for a moment. One simply did not ignore the actions and words of a Hokage, especially one with so much myth and legend like the Yondaime. Glancing down at Naruto, she asked simply, "How long?"

His face smiled, those whiskered cheeks parting. "A year and three months? A little more than that, Baa-chan...!"

"Baa-chan._ Baa-chan._ Well, that is interesting..." muttered the Namikaze. He gestured her to continue, as well as placed down seals of silence around the room for extra protection. Tsunade had to raise her eyebrow at that thought. Clearly this man wanted to talk as well as listen. However, exactly how much could she say? Even she lacked all of the answers.

After few seconds, she finally let go of Naruto. She couldn't hold onto him forever, although, at this current moment, she really wished to. "I prefer Shizune to leave this conversation, then. She had nothing to do with this, and knows nothing. To her, I merely woke up one morning and had a rapid change of heart to rush towards Konoha."

The Hokage folded his arms, nodding. With that, the young girl bit her lip, but obeyed the orders of her uppers. Once the door closed, the silence wards checked for effectiveness, and they were all facing one another, did she continue with the answers. "I have known Naruto for a little over the past two years. Or three. Depending on how you are looking at things, and with what point of view."

"Two. Three." Minato placed his hand under his chin, in a thinking pose.

"That's longer than he has been here," came a retort from Jiraiya.

"Go on."

Naruto was messing around next to her. It was not a usual emotion coming from the teenager, of that Tsunade was certain. Then again, neither was the mix of joy, fear, and anticipation that hung in the air. Continuing, she met the Hokage's eye sight. She knew he could read her answers as truth. "He knows me because he visited me in a gambling city." Short - cute, wasn't it?

While the blonde haired man was visibly upset, and a touch confused, he was not angry. At least, not in the sense of harm. It was... hard to place. He shook his head, seriousness displayed on all of his facial features. "So that is how it is. I would have to say, this is not something I came to expect with you, Tsunade-sama, but with Naruto..."

For a few moments, silence. Even the teen was not eager to speak, for once.

"Your last name... it isn't really Uzu_mamein_, is it?"

Tsunade bit her lip.

"However, I am sure it is... similar to its origin."

"Where are you going with this?" muttered Jiraiya. _Poor man, he doesn't get it-_ That was when it hit her. The Hokage, Namikaze Minato, KNOWS.

He **KNOWS**.

Naruto even got the hint. At least, partly. "... So it is not my real last name. I'm sorry for lying to you, Mi-Hokage, but-!"

The adult shook his head, the harsh edges of his face banished; erased from existence. It was as if he aged in just those few moments. "I understand. If I had fell into the past by means of not my own, I would be aware that using one's real existence would be ill advised."

The Slug Princess was still surprised enough to be glad she was not drinking or eating anything.

Too bad Naruto was trying to breath. He choked on air.

[x]

He saw their faces, but couldn't maintain too much of his facade of calm for long. While he had discussed about the time jump that had occurred with Naruto, it had taken this long to tie the last of the pieces together. This, despite the obvious appearance, the similar last name, the overall ease of which it should have come to him. No, perhaps he always knew - or at least, knew for much longer - and refused to believe. Once he had gained this insight back into the forefront of his mind, though, only new questions bombarded his mind. Scary ones. Ones about the future of him, his wife; his _family_.

It felt like the entire Hokage Mountain had crushed him. It was unfortunate that his sensei didn't catch on - but then again, maybe it was just that hard to pick up on it.

Children of the future.

Old ninjas.

Coming... Passing...

It was not that he was going to look at Naruto in a whole new lense... At least, not initially. It was still troubling to wrap one's brain around that concept. But the fear... It penetrated. The Seal. The Art of it. He had done it. Somehow. But the cost? When? Where?

It confused the Namikaze. And if he took that line of thought further, that could mean that a terror was about to unfold. Or _will_ unfold.

"Ughhh..."

That remark from the teenager was more than enough to stabilize the inner turmoil going on, although he knew it was something he was going to have to hurry and think about later. "I have guessed at that for a while, already."

With that said, even Jiraiya managed to continue the conversation. "Don't even try to deny it, Naruto. Although we don't know the circumstances that brought you here... Still, what an impossibility..."

"... I don't even know myself," Naruto began. "It just happened. One day I was standing, walking around Konoha. Then, something knocked me out. When I woke up, I was here, looking at you, in the hospital. I swear, that is ALL I know!"

"Elaborate."

So, thus, it was then when his story finally came out. It gushed, like a broken water line, as if held back by an intense pressure. About how the teen was minding his own business on a clear, beautiful day when he saw the flash of red clouds ["Bastards!" cried out Tsunade.] before all faded away. How an almost intense pain awoken him in the hospital. How the entire beginning began. It was paramount to both of the Toad users to hear, but still did not explain everything.

The Slug Princess shook her head when she noticed that Minato was glancing at her direction. "I know even less. There were no Akatsuki assassination attempts on me," the meaning of that, the Hokage had to ask on a later time, "or even any ideas of pain. I had first thought I had passed out, only to awaken in the here and now. But..." At this, she exclaimed her situation.

However, it was the later part that ticked another sense of forbearance within him.

Jiraiya as well. "What do you mean by strange things have been happening? Well, more strange than this?"

Even Naruto had to change his head. The Sannin had frowned for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. "Before... way before, even, there were a series of... occurrences."

"'Occurrences'?"

"Yes," Tsunade muttered. "It was as if the world was messing up. I don't desire to get too much into details - and before you mention anything, Minato, it's of subjects and life that you wouldn't understand - but what I CAN say is that people have reported that their lives have changed. A man I know spouted off that he should have died, only the world faded away into obscurity before 'fixing' itself. Another man claims that he saw visions of many ghosts of his past. Then, the entire village encountered the same thing. We still down't know if it's on a global scale - or was - but reports made it seem as _if_ it was. Or rather, it had happened to those who were influenced in some point of their lives via Naruto."

"Could it deal with the Seal?" Minato added. He dobuted it did, directly. It shouldn't. Not with what he saw an analyzed on it. Still, to know her opinion amongst these troubling news.

"Woah, Baa-chan! That DOES sound... well, wierd!"

The woman shook her head. "I doubt it."

Stablization was being undone. He could tell. Those thoughts from earlier was rushing back within him, clawing at his mind and memories. Thoughts of the blond haired teen raced by, spinning and making him dizzy. He could tell that it was begining to show upon his face; his sensei was giving him a face with worry and confusion. With a curt nod, he undid the protective seals around them, merely saying that that was all for the night before dismissing everyone. He, himself, didn't stay in the Hokage Tower for too long. Instead, he focused chakra into a malleable form, and whisked himself away.

To a place that could have answers.

To a place where he could make sense of it all.

Home.

It was late when he came back, almost toppling into the table. The scent of a homecooked meal permeated throughout the air, despite the hour. In the far distance, he could hear soft humming. It was none other than Kushina, his wife, fixing up a late, small dinner. It was not unusual for him to arrive late, being the Hokage and all. She had no idea of what he was going through, but he had to vent. He had to speak. He had to, he had to!

But, he blurted out the strangest thing instead. "You've been thinking of having a kid. Soon."

Her expression changed; her blue eyes opened wide. "H...H-How did you know?" she breathed.

"Look, Kushina, I-"

She was still holding onto that plate of food, despite the slight shaking in her hands. "I know it's dangerous for me, but... to think, having a child. Of our own! It's just..." she gave him such a pleading look, unaware that Minato was NOT in the mood - or state of mind - to get into this subject. "It's just that you and I have been married and I want to start a family, too! Imagine a little me, or a little you, running around!" she added, with a bit of a glint in her eyes. "As long as we take proper precau-"

"Precautions? Why-?"

Even she had to blink there. "Oh... that's right. I never told you. I was so caught up in the moment! It's just that... well, obviously not now, but, well, when we want to, you know." Blushing a bit, she added, "It's just we are going to have to take very specific precautions 'cause of... well... I..."

She hesitated. Almost seeming more worried than he was at that moment because of the turn of thoughts. But, she was Kushina, so she then forced herself onwards in typical Uzumaki style. "I'm a Jinchuuriki-"

Minato was speachless. No way. The odds were unsurmountable.

Naruto was a refugee at first thoughts. Fine.

Naruto was the containor of the Nine Tails. Dangerous. But he was never against Konoha.

Naruto is from the future. Ok. Delt with. Time paradoxes are just theories.

Naruto was known to Tsunade from the future as well? Awkward. Two now.

Naruto is his SON - his flesh and blood - from the future! But what about the Seal? Where did that come from!

"-of the Kyuubi."

Kushina was a Konoha kunoichi. Naturally, she was fast enough to catch the collapsing man.

[x]

"-and so I rushed over here as fast as I could! You should have seen what was going on Shizune's face! It was as if I had grown another head!" laughed a woman who had not done such a thing in so long, it seems. To celebrate was in session - all in the proper style.

Which, for Baa-chan, was sake. Lots of it.

Naruto happily joined along in the stories, telling of his escapades, and what he has been doing all along. Not only that, but what he has been seeing amongst the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He knew he had already gotten used to this, but to think that Tsunade's tales of that has been going on in the future-!

To think that there could be two timelines going on at once! Hell, he didn't even WANT to think about it! He doubted even Shikamaru could handle this much information overload. So, he did what he normally did best: shove it off to the side and just cry out heart-warming words to his motherly figure.

It was too sweet of a moment to discuss what he was beginning to plan. With the onset of his birthday, he knew they were on a countdown.

But everything would be alright. Baa-chan was here, too!

"Gaki, pass some of the good stuff," she added, smiling larger in her joking way.

"Right on it, dattebayo!" he happily yelled, making sure to pour her milk instead.

[x]

_Can you believe this is the sixteenth time I have attempted on this chapter? Not a joke - for the realz._

_I have lost much of my love over Naruto over the past year and then some. It wasn't really 'cause of Naruto, the character, but more like how the story kinda spiraled into something akinned to... well... Naruto! There was just far too much of this and that going on, and Sasuke things, and O, NO, more stuff, and then WTF with the Kyuubi. While it has 'picked up' during the whole Edo Tensei thing, it is still to the point where I no longer really wanna know toooo much, other than Naruto: The Cliffnotes Version. -pouts-_

_Anyways, it was very bad of me to leave you guys behind on this, especially since this story is branched off and has nothing really to do with what is currently going on in actual Naruto, the manga. You guys have been far more than just supportive - I have been getting alert and review notices even though I haven't touch this in forever!_

_I can't really apologize for my actions, but all I can say is that the show must go on. I know how it feels to have a good fanfic stop and never continues when I am reading other nice Minato and Naruto fluffy stuff, amongst other fanfiction sections, so it is about time I stop being hypocritical._

_And maybe this can rekindle my love of writing, in which I have stopped over the past month as well. So it wasn't just this story that took the hit..._

_P.s. [spoilers! Kinda.]__  
__Kyuubi/Kuruma is still evil in this story. The revelations in the manga are gonna be genrally ignored unless I can tie them in without too much of a hassle. However, at least some have managed to enter this fic, even though I started before such things were known. Yay for wiggle room! Alas, 'cause I didn't know about Kushina and her special guest, I had to make it seem as if she kept it secret from Minato all these years instead of telling him before they got married. ;X_  
_And Minato's general OP-ness._  
_Face it. He's SOOO OP. That's cool. ;-;_


	20. Chapter 20

※ _回想記の夢・__A Memoir of a Dream_※  
_by: Fehize_

[x]

This was how the world ends.

There always seemed to be a wind coming in from areas and lands of far away when one thinks these thoughts. Indeed, that was exactly what was occurring at this particular moment in time. It was not normal, either: it was strong, picking up little particles of dirt and sand and pelting her exposed flesh like no tomorrow. It wanted to get in her eyes, her mouth; her nose. It moved all of the banners, signs, and bell chimes from down below where even the people of the village at her feet. However, it was just the wind, and with this wind, it couldn't have caused all that she was seeing. All that she was experiencing.

Her sea green eyes reflected an image of a tombstone, etched with the words, "Here lies the greatest medic nin of them all: Tsunade Senju." There was a smaller phrase at the bottom, but she couldn't put it within her to read. It was all a lie, anyways. Tsunade-Shishou wasn't dead. She was not actually buried below her feet. She had not escaped off with a hidden lover. Nor was she even injured. No, the Godaime had simply vanished, right before her eyes.

It had been only about three days. Yet, the memories still chill her to the bone.

She had to hurry, as she was delivering paperwork detailing the latest updates dealing with Sasuke. With Naruto gone, it was only left to her, really, to reclaim that missing man. She refused to let him shimmer in the darkness that seemed to envelope every single step that man took. Sakura had seen him only twice since he had left the village - both times after Naruto's disappearance. At first, she had tried so hard to convince him to come back; she loved him! The village could help make things all better! The path he was encountering and meandering on was just going to hurt him in the end! She shivers at that memory, as all he did was just hit her unconscious with such envious speed. The second time fared none better: word of Naruto's assumption of death had already reached far-flung areas. Siasuke was mute for a few moments before he acted as if their missing partner never truly mattered. 'After all, you both were just _weak_.'

So, it was with the knowledge of a potential third attempt to try to talk to him - her drive to force Tsunade to make her do this mission, instead with far more backup - that she had entered the Hokage Tower.

Climbed the stairs.

Brought some sake, just in case.

And then opened the door.

The time was late - somewhere between 12 and 3 in the morning. Sakura wanted the cover of night to undergo this: most of the village was hostile towards Sasuke now. Not to mention she knew her shishou was still awake. Or should be. Yet, as she reached to the knob and slowly opened the door, she grew disappointed. It seemed as if Tsunade was reading reports earlier and just crashed on them. In fact, she could see the impressions of ink being smeared on the blonde's face. That only meant a few things, such as that woman was adding her signature to numerous of ceaseless political 'garbage'.

Sakura had smiled. Had placed the sake down on the desk. Was about to reach her hand forwards to awaken the sleeping woman.

Then, she was simply gone.

No poofs. No lights. No explosions. No seal markings. No genjutsu. Not even killer intent. Just gone.

She had thrown the alarm. She had called the ANBU. She had rushed the entire area to look for her. But in the end, it seemed impossible. It was if it was Naruto missing all over again. The pain in her heart was never-ending, it seemed. Even Ino was noticing this, and had tried the past day to get her to cheer up.

[x]

This was how the world ends.

Of that Sakura was sure.

The room looked to be exactly the same. The man standing in front of her was her sensei, Kakashi. He still had that mask around his face; still gave her a smile through his eyes. He even sounded the same. Yet, her voice keep forcing out a desperate plea of "Kai! Kai! Kai!"

The woman in the background was just laughing. "Oh, Kakashi, she sure is funny. Hehehe."

He just nodded a bit, before adding, in his sing-song voice. "Any particular reason as to why you stopped by my home, Miss...?"

She was confused. In all aspects. Kakashi - the man on whom she learned how to begin to be a ninja - was just staring straight at her face, as if he never even existed. Of, certainly, she had heard the rumors that Kakashi had gone... a little over the deep end, but to assume it was this far! And who was that woman, with dark brown hair and purple rectangles on her cheeks? It felt like all of this was a nightmare: a genjutsu!

Sakura thrusted out her finger. "Don't play coy with me, Kakashi! This is _important_! Why were you not at Tsunade-shishou's funeral this morning!"

Instead of frowning, or apologizing, or anything even remotely related to that, he just raised his eyebrow. "I am certain she is not dead. Right, Rin?"

The woman - this _Rin_ - nodded in response, smoothing her miniature tabi that was wrapped around her waist. "Yes, that is a cruel word to say, Miss. The Sannin is currently having fun with training her new recruits, or so I have seen this morning. Are you sure it is not you in the wrong...?"

Sakura had to frown at this, anger and grief wracking at her mind. How could Kakashi not even bother to show up and pretend Tsunade never even mattered! How DARE he be here, with this-this WOMAN!

As if to answer her thoughts, her sensei only sighed a bit, before yawning. "You know, now I remember where I have seen you before... You are that pink haired girl whom follows Sasuke Uchiha around a lot, as well as Naruto Namikaze." His white hair shook back and forth, trying to recall memories, it seemed. Yet, despite his callousness, the kunoichi was still filled with her painful emotions. Added on top now, though, was a sense of bitter confusion.

"I don't have TIME for this!" Sakura yelled, pulling her hand into a fist. "I'll go search for the killers of Tsunade and Naruto, myself!"

With that, she left them; tears echoing in the beginnings of a drizzle.

[x]

The sound of the rain was still echoing loudly throughout the home of one Kakashi Hatake. The two figures inside the home were still looking at that door, utterly confused over what had just occurred there. How sad, it seemed, that a poor woman had gone completely nuts. Or perhaps it was nothing but a large prank? Nay... she seemed far too serious to potentially be joking. So, Kakashi was left back with confused.

His eyes turned towards the woman next to him. "Well, what do you have to say about this?" She was still standing there, musing about something.

"You know, that would be the second time someone would have called that blonde woman a Hokage. I swear, it seems like all of them just forget that it is _Minato-sensei_ that has that title!" With that, she threw her arms up into the air, before walking back to the kitchen to bring out the tea. That left for the man a bit of a time to ponder further, but he didn't really need to. After all, he had a bit of more important things to wonder about. Perhaps he would talk to Obito later...

In this rain, however, it is hard to see if one is being watched. Up on the rooftops of neighboring buildings resided at least four men in cloaks. Where their heads would be was an eerily reflection of the setting sun: the rain slowly dripping over each curve of their masks. A different pattern of ink and paint was upon each of the four men, all with symbolism of animals.

One of them shook his head for a moment, sadly to and fro. It was a sorrowful expression that almost all of their group has done before. It was aimed at the white haired man they were looking at through the window, who was looking as if he had overcome his time of thinking and was walking off towards the dining area. There was Hatake, smiling and laughing - talking, even - to an illusion of a woman created by his memories.

It was always sad to see a man fall into insanity.

For that is what it could only be.

"It is, however, confusing that Sakura also saw the woman, do you not think?" floated the voice of their third member.

The first one could only grunt. It was back to watching the 'development' of the Copy Ninja: they doubted they could say anything positive to the council about this situation. It meant that this man below was definitely no longer in the running to become the next Hokage.

They all shivered at who might be next. It was a thought that ran into their minds, often.

[x]

Gloved hands moved like a fervor, stuffing every single article of clothing into her bag that she could carry without too much weight. On top of that was dozens of medical scrolls, ink for using said scrolls, kunai, and other such items that a kunoichi on a mission would need. Her pink hair was turning into a large mess, falling into her eyesight, but she triumphed through it all, tossing it aside. Her tears had already been pushed back as there was no longer a reason to cry. She had to be strong.

She just had to.

The image of the four of her Team 7 was still there upon her nightstand. The faces made Sakura nostalgic of times that have long since passed. If only-

"Nee, nee! Sakura-chan! What are you doing here, all mopey and stuff?"

"She's obviously packing for a mission, idiot."

"Pft, I dunno why. You two weren't assigned anything, right?"

She let her kunai fly at the voices, only to have it deflected. With a thud, it hit the floor, as she gasp in horror. Her hands reached to her mouth - eyes, widening. WHAT. WAS. GOING. ON!

"Who are you!" she screamed out, placing herself into a fight stance. There was no tall-tale signs of this being a genjutsu, and she would have noticed if it was. Very few people could overrule her own senses.

But no one was there.

"It's us, Sakura-chan!"

"... Are you alright, Sakura?"

Naruto? Sasuke...?

No. No. No. No. NO! This wasn't real. This was NOT happening! It was just a filament of her imagination, and if she didn't control her damn grief enough, she would end up JUST like Kakashi! The voices had no bodies - no one was behind her.

Phantom memories.

"I don't think Sakura-chan is..."

"Maybe you can send Tsunade on her?"

"Well, I can... It'll be for the better... She's acting as if... As if..."

"What's wrong? Why do you have that look on your face?"

"Go away!" she screamed out. "Leave me alone! Is not going on a mission enough to keep you out of my consciousness! Is not trying to find your killer and you yourself ENOUGH!"

"...It... It's nothing, Sasuke. We... we should go, though. Now."

"But, my teammate is obviously in-!"

"NOW!"

With that, there was the sound of a door slamming, only her front door never moved at all. Her pack was still behind her, eagerly awaiting a new mission.

Sakura wasn't. Not anymore.

[x]

His blonde hair was lying back on a pile of books. "Ugh, if there was ever a way to be more miserable than this, I have yet to find it."

"Honestly," came a retort back. "Naruto, it isn't too hard to find information on all of this, you know. Or better yet, not with another help, ne?"

The teenager flipped around to give his Baa-chan a look. With a nervous smile, he added, haphazardly, "Well, with YOUR help-"

He got fisted to the head. Although, he thought as he rubbed the injury away, it was not nearly the power that it would take to be an actual combat fist punch. His blue eyes reflected some of the yellow light coming from the ceiling in the vanished light. Though normally he was asleep at this time, it was just impossible to do so. He was talking to Tsunade, discussing all that he had done, in as good as a detailed description he could come up with.

Needless to say, the entire thing took them both well into the early morning hours of the new day.

"So, you know about Minato..." came Baa-chan's soft voice. "To be honest, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and I knew the truth, although, we were... hesitant to tell you. 'What would have done with that information?' we had thought." The blonde woman shook her head slowly, back and forth. Perhaps some of the night's sake was helping in this as well? Normally, Naruto condemned that sort of stuff with Tsunade, but for this night, he let those thoughts slip. Just a bit! "It is a good thing that you took everything so well."

At that, Naruto snorted. "Well, as good as feeling an Iwa shinobi sending a boulder to my lungs."

His Baa-chan had to arch an eyebrow at that. "Sounds like something you experienced."

"No, but it was something that I _nearly_ saw happening to someone else."

Silence went by for a few moments as they both began to settle down, trying to claim as much sleep as they could. For the current moment, it seemed like Tsunade was going to spend a few nights within the same inn-room as Naruto. At least, until she could access some of her funds and rent her own room. ["Damn, I am still drowning in debt in this moment." "I ain't helping you on THAT, Baa-chan~!" "Little punk!" "Ahahaha!" "It'll only take a little bit of gambling from you..." "Baa-chan...!"]

"You know, we are going to have to rush on trying to find out a way to stop the Kyuubi attack."

"Sound so grown up there, Naruto," the ex-Godaime Hokage added. She was in the process of burrowing her way into her futon, trying to shoo away the coldness of the air. Winter tended to make things uncomfortable... at least for those used to living in warm weather all the time.

The teen frowned at that comment, before slowly adding, "Well, it was hard here the first few months. In fact, I think I 'grew up' quite a bit." However, as soon as that was said, his smile came back in full force, killing away any thoughts that Tsunade might have assumed otherwise. "What do you think little me will look like! All small and fuzzy headed? How about cute and short? WOAH, there would be TWO of me! How confusing would that be! Dad'll have TWO sons!"

With this, Tsunade grunted back, "I don't think it works that way, Gaki."

"Well, yeah. Whatever. _I_ think I'll look freakishly adorable."

"Go to sleep." Baa-chan was in the right. Sleep seemed like such a good idea.

[x]

Sleep was not something the Namikaze could undergo. It didn't matter if Kushina was trying her hardest to ensure so before ultimately giving up - it was a current action he was unable to do. His blonde hair rested lazily all around his head as it was placed on a pillow. Better to try than stand up and exhaust oneself even further. Thought kept dancing across his mind, twirling and crashing; very much so following the namesake of his own child...

A CHILD.

"Ugh..." he moaned, rubbing his face with his hand. It was such a hard concept to even fathom! Yet, at the same time, it made so much sense. It was as if he was teetering on some kind of edge, with sudden realization on one side, to utter disbelief on the other.

It was not just the concept of having a kid, though. No, he couldn't put the blame upon Naruto. It was the other things that came along with... with his future son. The Seal was Art - it was something his Sensei and him have had long conversations about. An Art that was both powerful, but costly. Only two people - three max at best - could potentially undergo such a thing correctly...

It was looking, aiming, focusing, that he, Minato Namikaze, Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, holder of the Will of Fire, was going to die, sealing a beast that was currently contained within his own wife.

Even more horrid a thought: his own wife was going to loose her life as well, for Naruto never mentioned having a mother.

He would leave his child family-less.

Yes, that hand went back to his face, covering his own set of blue eyes. "There has to be another way."

One without deaths. One without sacrifice.

One that would leave his future child safe with someone to care for him.

But that brought things back into full circle. Kushina had yet to elaborate as to why having children was such a 'testy' occasion. Minato's face went back into it's calm, calculating gaze at the ceiling. Yes, he was going to have his wife explain the more elaborate, and secretive, parts of her life. From there, he could prepare some sort of better plan.

Outside, the birds were beginning, if just, to start their morning songs. They were too ignorant of the world to be filled with confusing and clashing thoughts. It was a new day to them, and new days always meant the folly or woes of previous was long gone.

So, they sung. Sung to a new day.

[x]

_As promised, here is the next update. Sooner than some expected, no?_

_I didn't want to make Sakura all sad and depressed, but considering what was going on, I was kinda 'forced' to. ;o And what could Minato be planning? Tsunade's next action? Naruto's? Obito n lil Kakashi n Rin? WHO KNOWS! [Aside from me, ajajaja!]_

_-hand over palm- Please be kind to lil ol' me and send some nice, yummy reviews! ;D -stab'd- _


End file.
